EastEnders star unrecognisable 10yrs on from dramatic exit - after swapping Albert Square for a very different job
Most people wouldn't recognise this once-famous soap star who was embroiled in some of EastEnders' biggest storylines - and they'd be even less likely to predict what she does now. Lucy Beale, the daughter of EastEnders characters Ian (played by the legendary Adam Woodyatt) and Cindy Beale (played by Michelle Collins), was first introduced to the BBC soap as a baby in 1993. The role was played by a total of four different actors until she was finally killed off in 2015.
During her tumultuous time on the square, Lucy's storylines included teenage rebellion, pregnancy and abortion and an affair with her best friend's dad Max Branning (Jake Wood). She took on her dad's café when he had a breakdown, and renamed it Cindy's in honour of her mum. The savvy businesswoman also set up a lettings agency in the Square with Lauren, but was also secretly battling a cocaine addiction. The last time she appeared alive was during a row with dad Ian, which erupted when her half-sister Cindy Jnr told him about Lucy's drug taking. The last actress to take on the troubled character was Hetti Bywater in 2012.
She played the character for three years and was at the centre of one of EastEnders' biggest storylines in her latter years when she was murdered as part of a massive whodunnit storyline played out over the following year to mark EastEnders' 30th Anniversary.
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After being killed off, Hetti, 29, returned for a flashback episode when it was revealed it was her brother Bobby who had finished her off by bashing her over the head with a music box. After her exit in 2015 she went on to star in Death in Paradise and Sky One series Delicious, reports the Mirror.
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The former actress has been sharing snaps on her Instagram of her adventures with friends and trips abroad, showing off a fresh-faced look with minimal makeup.
In 2017, two years after leaving the soap, Hetti was spotted working as a barmaid in an Islington pub in London, pulling pints and collecting glasses. It seems she doesn't miss playing Lucy at all, as she revealed on Instagram that she's glad her character was killed off, writing: "girl is allowed to talk in whatever way she pleases. As much as I'm very fond of the English language, I'm free to use words as I see fit. I'm glad Bobby killed Lucy too, I hated her."