Heather Trott is one of EastEnders' most loved characters.
The fan favourite was played by Cheryl Fergison from 2007 - 2012, before she briefly returned to Albert Square for a voice-over appearance in 2016.
Heather was introduced to the soap as Shirley Carter's best friend, who loved nothing more than cheese, karaoke and George Michael.
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Viewers watched her develop through iconic storylines such as her marriage to Minty Peterson and surprise pregnancy after she had a baby with Darren Miller.
The baby was named after her favourite musician and Heather's stint in Walford mainly showed her battling financial struggles to raise her son.
Darren eventually received custody of baby George Michael - and Heather then became embroiled in a rollercoaster romance with Andrew Cotton.
Her stint in Walford came to an end after she was brutally murdered by Ben Mitchell in 2012 - and the character was referenced four years later when Dot Cotton discovered a mixtape of Heather and Shirley's Christmas songs.
Cheryl has also led a dramatic life away from the screen and has been married twice.
The 56-year-old was married to Jamshed Saddiq and the couple shared one child named Alex before they divorced in 2008.
The soap star married her second husband named Yassine Al-Jermoni in 2011 - and she revealed the two met online during an appearance on Loose Women in 2017.
She said: "We met online and wrote to one another on the computer and spoke on the phone. It was very old-fashioned. He didn't know what I did for a living. I didn't show him my picture.
"It was five months of chat before we met each other. I saw him and it was like 'ping'. I knew he was the man I was going to marry and I had been married once before.'"
Yassine is 21 years younger than Cheryl, but she didn't have any concern about the age-gap.
She added: "Age doesn't matter - no one blinks when a man does it. Thank goodness we're not all the same. I think do whatever you are comfortable with."
Cheryl struggled to find work following her EastEnders exit and revealed she was typecast as Heather.
She told the Distinct Nostalgia podcast: "I got fairy parts when I left EastEnders in pantos because Heather was lovely and kind.
"I only ask for a little bit of imagination from casting directors."
Cheryl regularly posts updates from her personal life on Instagram and recently shared a proud clip of her son showcasing his musical talent.
She also revealed an emotional family story as she was visited by her brother earlier this year.
She said: "So my brother is coming up for a visit today. We are like two peas in a pod … there’s is always laughs & fun times when we get together.. our story of how we found each other is simply amazing, emotional and one you couldn’t even write in a soap!
She continued: "11 years ago Graeme and two other siblings came into mine and our family’s life .. since then even when times are tough we are there for each other. Thank you little Bro for being there."
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