Jenna Russell will depart from EastEnders as her character Michelle Fowler is being written out of the soap as part of a "mutual decision" between the actress and the production.
Russell first appeared in the BBC One soap in December 2016, taking over the role of Michelle from Susan Tully, who originally played the character from 1985 until 1995.
An EastEnders spokesperson said: "Jenna is a terrific actress who has loved her time on the show playing Michelle and it was a mutual decision to write the character out.
"We wish Jenna all the best for the future."
Rumours had been circulating that Russell would be leaving the show, with a source telling The Sun UK that producers had made the decision to write her out in order to focus more on the returning Slater family.
"Bringing back an an old character always adds much needed nostalgia which fans love," they quote a source as saying.
"But Michelle simply wasn't going anywhere and was deemed a bit of spare part. Jenna is an established actress in her own right and wouldn't want to be on the periphery."
Hitting back at speculation she was axed from the soap, Russell tweeted: "Just for clarity, I wasn't 'axed' just fancied doing something else. Nothing else. Have a great day x #actorslife."
EastEnders continues on RTÉ One on Monday at 8pm.
