EastEnders star Nicholas Bailey has broken his silence following the shocking death of his character, Anthony Trueman. After returning to the BBC soap after an absence of 11 years, Anthony met his end on Christmas Day.

After making a comeback in Walford in August, Anthony has been part of a dramatic storyline involving former flame Zoe Slater, with it being revealed that he had lied about the fate of their twins.

 

 

After Jasmine Fisher was revealed to be their daughter (as well as Zoe’s stalker alongside Chrissie Watts), Zoe confronted Anthony in The Vic as tensions escalated. After she was found unconscious by Kat, Anthony lay dead, with the mystery deepening.

Speaking after his character’s dramatic death, Bailey shared that he had “no idea” about the various twists in Anthony’s storyline, sharing: “I really didn’t think Anthony was the father, so I was surprised because it had been concealed so well!

“But it was a pleasant surprise because you always know that, when there’s a big revelation like that, you are going to get some great stuff to play. A Christmas storyline is a huge moment in soaps, so to get that and a big Christmas Day exit was a real honour!

“Obviously, it was bittersweet because it meant I was leaving, and I’ve felt really at home since I came back to EastEnders. But the storyline itself is tremendous, and it gave me much more to do than I expected.

“It’s been great to come out of my comfort zone and play some spectacular scenes full of spectacular lines. My jaw hit the floor when our producer Ben Wadey told me where this was going and what was going to happen.

“But I think it was a masterstroke because when I look back, Anthony was always a bit like a pressure cooker – he let things build before the steam escapes. This time he couldn’t keep the lid on it!”

While Bailey, who first played Anthony in 2000, admitted that he was “sad” about his stint coming to an end, the actor did share that he wanted to “lean into the excitement” of the storyline being a “launch pad” for the soap’s storylines next year.

“I love EastEnders and I love seeing the show thrive,” he said. “So, while I’m sad to be saying goodbye to Anthony, I’m happy it means my friends are going to have some incredible stuff to play following his death.”

Naturally, given that the actor has a cumulative total of just under six years on the soap, Bailey has many cherished memories to look back on, with the star admitting that it was hard to just pick one!

“My first scenes back with Rudolph [Walker] and Jessie [Wallace], Patrick and Yolande’s wedding, the feud with Howie and Anthony exposing him to Kim and Patrick, and many, many more.

“I was over the moon to discover I’d be working with Michelle Ryan again. I didn’t know she was coming back when I was offered the job, so that was terrific because she’s a good friend and a tremendous actor.”