EASTENDERS fans were stunned after spotting an iconic soap star in an Australian TV ad following her move Down Under.
The BBC soap alum appeared in Albert Square from 2000 until leaving in 2004.
🌐 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔.𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐 – 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍
Hannah Waterman portrayed Laura Beale – who fans may recall for her memorable death scene.
Over two decades on, viewers were shocked to see the actress pop up in an Australian TV ad.
The 49-year-old featured in an advert promoting a casino game titled KenoGo.
Writing online, one fan said: “So I’m living in Australia currently and this advert keeps popping up on the TV and now social media.
“Is it Laura Beale’s actress Hannah Waterman?”
Another replied: “Yeah looks like it, and I read somewhere that she moved to Australia a few years ago.”
While a third chimed in: “Yeah Hannah Waterman has lived in Australia for years. She was in Home and Away recently.”
Hannah is the daughter of late actor Dennis Waterman – who passed away back in 2022.
While in EastEnders, her character Laura became Ian Beale’s third wife.
She welcomed Bobby in 2003 although initially believed her lover Garry Hobbs was the father – given Ian had a vasectomy.
Laura Beale finds out about Ian’s affair with Janine Butcher on EastEnders
However, it later transpired that Ian was indeed Bobby’s biological father.
The character’s final scenes saw her clash with Janine Butcher – while Laura fatally tripped down the stairs.
Late last year, it was announced Hannah had signed up to play a magistrate in Home and Away.
She had last acted in the UK for a 2013 episode of Doctors – but had appeared in a string of Australian dramas.
A source said: “Hannah moved to Australia years ago for a new life but she’s still acting.
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans – Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning – Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin’s wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly’s side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack’s father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth – Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap’s most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey’s exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman – Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt’s (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance – and marriage – with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 – with the expectation it would result in the character’s death.ake some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble – but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
“She loved dipping her toes back into the world of soap briefly and who knows it could mean she finds her way back more permanently.”
The role came two years after Hannah tied the knot to former The Bill star husband Huw Higginson.
Huw posted a celebratory shot showing their special day in October 2022 as they posed with their son Jack, 11, on a boat in Sydney.
The Bill actor gushed in his caption: “Got married to my love yesterday. We had the best of days.”
🌐 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔.𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐 – 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍
