Sad news for EastEnders fans! Actress Lisa Hammond, who plays mouthy Donna Yates, has announced that she is leaving the BBC soap. "It's been so great to play Donna for the past four years," she told Metro.co.uk. "I've made lifelong friends at EastEnders and will really miss all of the brilliant cast and crew who have always been a pleasure to work with! I look forward to what the future brings." It has yet to be confirmed how her character will leave the show.
© Photo: BBCLisa Hammond is leaving EastEnders after four years
An EastEnders spokesperson added: "We can confirm Lisa will be leaving EastEnders in the coming months. Lisa has been a fantastic addition to the cast and she will be missed. We wish her all the very best for the future." Lisa, 34, also took to her Twitter to announce her departure, writing: "Happy/sad :-)" [sic] Since arriving on the Square, Donna has been integral in various storylines. She angered Walford residents after her clothes stall was moved from Spring Lane Market to Bridge Street. The market stall holder was later joined on-screen by her foster-brother Vincent Hubbard and her foster-mother, Claudette Hubbard.
MORE: EastEnders star Richard Blackwood reveals the real reason why he's leaving
News of Lisa's departure comes shortly after it was revealed that Vincent, played by Richard Blackwood, will be leaving the soap in spring. The rapper-turned-actor has since admitted that the choice wasn't entirely down to him. "There was no bad vibe between me and EastEnders about leaving," he explained to So Solid Crew's Harvey on his YouTube channel. "It just so happened that I came to the end of my contract and they weren't going to renew it." But the 45-year-old confessed that he has just accepted the move as part of the industry. "I said if I get more than one year, I reckon I'm going to do three years," he shared. "EastEnders is its own movie, I'm a character within it. My character within that movie had to leave." It was also announced last month that Michelle Fowler is being written out just 14 months after she joined the BBC show.
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