Jo Joyner "swore" she wouldn’t ever return to ‘EastEnders’ after giving up her weekends to film night shoots before Christmas – and thinks her character could be dead.
The 41-year-old actress wouldn’t be surprised if the BBC One soap’s bosses have killed off her character Tanya Cross, and admits she wouldn’t even know because she doesn’t watch the programme anymore.
She said: "I gave ‘EastEnders’ my Saturdays late last year, but I didn’t realise when they asked that it was going to be night shoots with rain machines, from 2am til 2pm – so it was my Saturdays and Sundays, and I swore I wouldn’t do it again.
"I don’t know what happened to Tanya – I don’t watch it. It could be that she’s been killed. It only takes a phone call, doesn’t it?"
While Jo doesn’t tune into the soap anymore, she hasn’t completely ruled out ever reprising her role as Tanya.
She added to The Sun newspaper: "I’d never say never, but I can tell you I won’t be back before next Easter as it’s full-on. Don’t hold your breath."
Jo recently admitted she is enjoying her life in the Warwickshire countryside too much at the moment to return to Walford full-time, because that would mean having to move house.
She said: "At the moment I love where I live and I live out in the countryside and it’s a big commute for me if I was to do ‘EastEnders’ regularly. We’d all have to move, the whole family would have to move.
"The kids are so young and I love the fact they can grow up in the country. It’s just not the right time for me to go back at the moment. But I’ll never say never."