30 January 2023 , 16:14
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EastEnders actress Gurlaine Kaur Garcha will be leaving the long-running series after four years.
The star plays Ash Panesar on the show and will be written out of the BBC hit in a straightforward storyline.
She joined the TV show in 2019 as a bisexual doctor and has been a huge hit with fans since.
Gurlaine took an on-screen break at the beginning of 2022 and returned in June.
The Panesar family, including Kheerat, Vinny and Jags, were introduced to the series before their mum Suki.
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The BBC released a statement confirming her exit, saying: "We can confirm that Gurlaine will be leaving EastEnders, and we wish her all of the best for the future."
She joined the show in 2019 (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)A source recently revealed she had an 'incredible' time during her few years on the popular soap.
The source claimed: “Gurlaine’s loved her time on the show but she’s ready to try new things.
“She’s had an incredible three years on the soap and made some great friends."
They added to The Sun: “She’ll film her final scenes in the coming months and in typical EastEnders style it will be unmissable.”
Her character's brother Jags was killed while Kheerat departed last year after the arrival of Nish.
Mirror have contacted BBC for comment.
Gurlaine previously spoke about the on-screen family drama in October, revealing: "Who doesn’t love a bit of family drama?
She will be written off the series (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)"Even when you meet up with your mates and they’re like, 'Guess what my brother did, or my dad or whatever,' and it’s that, it’s that real life drama that we bring to screen that the audience experience."
She added to Metro.co.uk: "It’s exaggerated drama. There’s so much coming up. There’s beautiful family moments, there’s excitement, there’s a bit of everything!"
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Meanwhile, the actress recently took to her Instagram page to tease her future in EastEnders by posting a casting headshot.
She took to the caption to confirm she has new representatives, writing: "Excited for what's to come" along with a US flag emoji.
Fans took to the comment section to speculate about her role in the series, with one user saying: "Can’t wait for you to be on US (and Canadian) television."
"Hope you aren’t leaving us as ash but this is exciting xx," another added.
One follower commented: "Oh no will miss her on eastenders, good luck on your next journey. Absolutely stunning."