EastEnders icon makes shock return after brutal exit from soap
EastEnders fans were in for a treat on Thursday night as the drama unfolds around Keanu Taylor's funeral.
In the episode, Sharon Watts is taken aback when she spots Karen Taylor at The Vic ahead of Keanu's funeral. However, it doesn't take long for the two foes to start trading barbs, forcing Kat Slater and Sonia Fowler to step in.
Long-time viewers will remember that Keanu met his grisly end on Christmas Day, stabbed with a meat thermometer by Linda who was trying to save her friend Sharon Watts from being strangled by him. The Six, including Sharon, Linda Carter, Suki Panesar, Stacey Slater, Kathy Beale and Denise Fox, then conspired to cover up the crime and their involvement in it.
Keanu's body was hidden under the cafe floor, while the women misled the police, claiming that Keanu had attacked Nish Panesar and was now on the run. This lie, along with the truth about his fate, was finally revealed last year when his body was discovered at the cafe, with the women pinning the crime on the villainous Dean Wicks.
Lorraine Stanley - who plays Karen - returned to the soap despite leaving earlier this year. Announcing her departure on Instagram, Lorraine said: "I'll be sad to be saying goodbye to Karen Taylor and will miss all the cast and crew at EastEnders."
Karen and Mitch Baker departed Albert Square with their family in December. Before they left, Phil Mitchell exposed Karen and son Keanu's kidnap plot to a shocked Sharon.
Karen was revealed to have masterminded a plan to kidnap Albie - but what Sharon didn't know at the time was that Keanu was also heavily involved in the scheme. In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Karen Taylor was seen fleeing the Vic, overwhelmed by Phil's confrontation, and later breaking down in tears at home. She had been keeping up a facade to shield her son, but the weight of her secret became too much, leading her to believe that leaving Walford was her only escape.
Mitch Baker proposed they return Phil's money to avoid further trouble, but Karen chose to hold onto it, convinced that her departure was necessary for Keanu to have a life free from the burden of his hidden truth.
The episode closed on a poignant note as Karen and Mitch set off for Spain with Phil's cash in tow, even musing over potential nuptials. Yet, Karen was firm on one thing her name would remain unchanged, exclaiming with a mix of defiance and hope, "Watch out Spain, the Taylor-Bakers are coming! " This scene marked Karen's second appearance this year, following a brief return in February when she was fraught with worry over Keanu, unaware of his tragic fate.
