BBC EastEnders icon sparks concern with hospital bed update after mystery surgery

BBC EastEnders icon sparks concern with hospital bed update after mystery surgery
Laurie Brett as Jane Beale
BBC
Olivia Gantzer

By Olivia Gantzer


Published: 06/03/2024

- 14:12

Updated: 06/03/2024

- 16:10

The actress spent more than a decade on the soap as Jane Beale

Former EastEnders star Laurie Brett has been inundated with well-wishes after she posted a photo of herself post-surgery in a hospital bed.

The Jane Beale star, who spent 13 years in the BBC soap role, didn’t give many details away about the circumstances surrounding the snap but thanked staff for taking care of her during and after the procedure.


While she didn't reveal what the surgery had been for, she assured fans she was "getting there" in her recovery process as she responded to some of the well-wishes.

The snap shows the 54-year-old in a hospital gown and clutching a teddy bear from her hospital bed. She captioned the X, formerly Twitter, post: "We have to ring fence & protect our @NHSEngland #whittingtonhospital from any politics.. An all party agreement.

"Thanks especially to Nicole for post op care. Thanks to everyone @thegirlsmusical @UnitedAgents & my darling @garyaknichols for feeding and looking after me."

Her concerned social media followers flocked to wish her the best, and among the messages was one from her former on-screen stepson, Aaron Sidwell, who played Steven Beale from 2007 to 2008 and again in 2016 and 2017.

Jane Beale/Laurie Brett

The actress posted a snap of herself from her hospital bed

BBC/X/Laurie Brett

In a nod to their soap alter-egos, he penned: "Hope you’re ok Mumma!"

Elsewhere, other concerned fans urged caution, including one fan who wrote: "Look after yourself Laurie. God bless the NHS xxx.

"Correct. Sending lots of love, dear girl," another added before a third weighed in: "Much love to you Laurie. Hope you’re fully recovered soon xxx."

"Sending love and prayers so speedy recovery," another shared on the social media site.

"Oh, hope you're well on the mend, Laurie. Sending love down from Scotland," someone else commented.

Brett hasn't been seen in the London-based soap since 2017 when Max Branning (played by Jake Wood) ordered her character to leave the Square after she allowed him to be arrested for the murder of Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater).

Jane Beale, Brett's character, was covering for her stepson and Lucy's brother, Bobby Beale (at the time Eliot Carrington).

While she has been out of EastEnders for quite a while, her character remains a fan-favourite, with viewers calling for her return as recently as last year.

Laurie Brett as Jane Beale

Brett left EastEnders back in 2017

BBC

When the soap aired the shocking plot twist that Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) was still alive after she was considered dead for decades, fans begged for Jane to make a comeback.

As Ian Beale's (Adam Woodyatt) ex-wife, some theorised she'd return to Walford after bringing up Cindy's children for most of their lives.

Brett hasn't hinted towards a soap return anytime soon though, and has recently gone on to star in different dramas, such as Deadwater Fell, Casualty and Shetland.

It was announced earlier this year the actress would be joining the Calendar Girls cast, taking on the role of Annie Clarke.

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