EastEnders – Sharon Watts exit explained
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has been missing a key player of The Six in recent weeks, as Sharon Watts is on an extended break from Walford.
Sharon was seen leaving the Square in an episode airing on January 9, leaving fans to wonder when she would be coming back.
Sharon's exit came amid the show's biggest storyline, after she joined forces with Kathy, Suki, Denise and Stacey to cover up Linda's killer crime.
She was integral to the big Christmas storyline even before that, after her relationship with Keanu fell apart on their wedding day.
Things got so out of hand that Keanu later tried to strangle Sharon, prompting Linda to stab him – fatally – in defense.
Despite this, Sharon has been notably missing in the aftermath.
Bosses wrote in an explanation for Sharon's absence, with her final scenes showing her at the tube station with her young son Albie. She was preparing to fly out to Australia to see her best friend Michelle.
Sharon initially wanted to escape the memories of Keanu's demise, but updates since then have suggested that her circumstances may have changed.
In scenes airing a few weeks later, Martin Fowler flew out to Australia to see Michelle as well, after explaining she'd had to have a hysterectomy.
Narratively, this may explain why Sharon stays away for longer than planned.
Viewers have seen Denise, Kathy, Linda, Stacey and Suki in numerous secret meetings without Sharon – even digging up and reburying Keanu's body while she was out of the picture.
Since Sharon left, Denise has begun to lose her grip on reality, while Sharon's best friend Linda is also spiralling out of control following her alcohol relapse as well.
Perhaps, most notably, Sharon's absence will be felt in upcoming scenes, when Keanu's mum Karen returns to Walford.
Fans know that there was never any love loss between the pair anyway, but Sharon would have likely been Karen's first port of call in terms of Keanu's whereabouts.
Lorraine Stanley filmed her final scenes as Karen last year, but is reprising her role for a brief stint.
Karen's comeback throws The Five into a spin as she starts demanding answers about Keanu and Christmas. Things then threaten to get even worse when she demands an audience with a horrified Linda.
Sharon's break also left us hanging in terms of her situation with ex-husband Phil, after he learned Albie was his biological son.
The story was an integral part of the Christmas Day drama, but has had little follow-up.
With Steve McFadden, who plays Phil, also due to go off screen in upcoming episodes to facilitate his panto break, it doesn't look like there are any plans to revisit that story for a while.
No official reason has been given for Sharon's temporary departure, but it has been confirmed that Letitia Dean will be returning to the show after her break.
A new video posted on social media by Diane Parish, who plays Denise, earlier this week, confirmed that Sharon will be back eventually.
However, Diane's video, which was filmed behind the scenes of the EastEnders set, did imply that Letitia wasn't back at work just yet.
If Diane's video was done in real time, it would suggest that Sharon's break could extend until at least the spring due to the length between filming and broadcast.
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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