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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte Tutton

EastEnders' Chantelle actress knew tragic twist was coming as character to be murdered

EastEnders actress Jessica Plummer has revealed she knew for a while that her tragic character Chantelle Atkins would be killed by abusive husband Gray.

The BBC soap confirmed on Sunday that the harrowing domestic abuse storyline, that began early last year, would come to a devastating end.

Chantelle is murdered by her husband in distressing scenes to come at some point in the upcoming weeks, as she finally decides to flee his abuse.

Tragically, her escape is thwarted after his abuse escalated throughout lockdown, and Chantelle ends up losing her life.

Speaking about the heartbreaking twist in the storyline, actress Jessica shared the importance of this ending.

EastEnders' Chantelle Atkins will be murdered in devastating scenes (BBC)

Reacting to her upcoming exit, she also revealed it had been planned a while ago.

She explained: "It’s been such a privilege to play Chantelle and to be able to tell her story.

"Sadly what she goes through is all too common and her death is a reminder of the devastating effect of domestic abuse.

EastEnders actress Jessica Plummer has opened up on the harrowing twist (BBC)

"I’ve known it wasn’t going to end well for Chantelle for a while now and although it was a shock to find out her fate, far too many men and women suffer in silence so I hope that by raising awareness we can ultimately save lives."

She added: "I am so grateful to all the team and my lovely cast members for being so supportive, I’ll miss Albert Square!"

Actor Toby Alexander-Smith, who plays Gray, also shared his reaction to the shocking death.

Gray Atkins will kill his wife Chantelle (BBC)

He said: "We hope that Chantelle’s story gives people the courage to speak out before it’s too late and to know that there are services out there to help. Working with Women’s Aid and Refuge has been invaluable in understanding the mindset of an abuser and the awful realities of abusive relationships.

"With such a tragic ending bound to be shocking for the audience, hopefully it serves as an important reminder of the devastation domestic abuse causes, especially at the moment.

"Working with Jessica has been wonderful, she’ll be greatly missed and I am so thankful that we’re part of such an important story together."

EastEnders returns to BBC One on Monday at 8:05pm.

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