EastEnders star quits over controversial plot
Samantha Womack
Samantha Womack, nèe Janus, has quit EastEnders as she believes the current cot death storyline “went too far”, the Sun reports. Womack plays Ronnie Mitchell in the soap and over the New Year the character was seen stealing Kat Slater’s child after her newborn son suffered cot death. The BBC has received nearly 3,500 complaints since the storyline aired while insiders say Womack resigned in November after her reservations about the plot were ignored.
"The last couple of months at work have been awful for Sam. The first time she read the script, she thought it was wrong and pushed boundaries too far. It was such a sensitive issue, she knew it would cause a huge backlash," a source explained. "She wrote a letter on the day she read it and made it clear to bosses she thought it was wrong. They persuaded her to stay and film the scenes, but she will leave in May. It was draining for her filming the scenes and incredibly difficult emotionally.
"All she could think about was the reaction of parents, especially mothers, who had lost children to cot death," the source added before explaining that "as a mother first and an actress second" things had "gone too far".
The BBC is yet to comment on the reports.
Updated: Samantha's agent Michael Wiggs has denied the actress is quitting the show. "There's no truth whatsoever in any suggestion that Sam is 'quitting' EastEnders over the current storyline," Michael said, before adding, "Her contract comes to a natural end later this year and she will be taking a break from the show; this has been agreed with the producers for several months."
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