There was bad news for EastEnders fans this week, as soap sources suggested that popular character Shirley Carter won’t be returning to Walford after all.

The show announced in December 2022 that Linda Henry had taken a break from the role, but nearly three years later, Shirley is still nowhere to be seen.

Viewers were finally put out of their misery this week, as a report in The Sun suggested that Linda actually quit the role of Shirley at the time and has no plans to return.

The article stated that Linda, who’s known for shunning the limelight outside of her acting work, wanted a no-fuss departure so bowed out of EastEnders quietly. Show bosses have declined to comment on the story.

While some fans are shocked over the news, others have pointed out that the signs were always there. Here are six tell-tale clues you may have missed…

1. Shirley’s exit had been on the cards for years

In October 2013, Linda Henry revealed that she’d seriously considered quitting EastEnders after Shirley had become underused by the storyliners.

She changed her mind when Dominic Treadwell-Collins took over as executive producer and created the wider Carter family, which gave Shirley a much more central role in the soap.

“I had a very quiet year and was considering leaving, but I got a call to say Dominic Treadwell-Collins was taking over the show,” Linda told Inside Soap at the time.

“He’s so exciting and passionate about EastEnders, and now everything is buzzing… It means a lot that Shirley is going to be a big part of the action.”

Dominic memorably cast Danny Dyer to play leading man Mick Carter, kicking off an exciting new era for the Queen Vic – and the show as a whole.

Fast-forward to 2022, and Shirley’s exit aired in the exact same week that Mick bowed out for good. Looking back, it seems fitting that Shirley left at the same time as the character that had kept her around nine years earlier…

2. Linda Henry’s on-set farewell

There was an air of finality in behind-the-scenes footage released around the time that Linda filmed her final scenes in late 2022.

Rag’n’Bone Man made a cameo appearance in EastEnders at the time, performing at Mick and Janine’s wedding.

The popular star later released a separate video on his social media pages, showing him serenading Linda while singing for the cast and crew during a break from filming.

At one point, Rag’n’Bone Man changed the lyrics of his hit song Skin to reference her, saying: “When the walls came down I was thinking about Linda.”

Linda was visibly overwhelmed and emotional over the beautiful tribute, but the special shout-out left some fans slightly suspicious at the time…

3. Gillian Wright’s tribute to Linda Henry

At the end of December 2022, Gillian Wright – aka Jean Slater – penned an emotional tribute to Linda on Instagram after her final scenes had aired.

The touching words tipped fans off that Linda’s departure was more than just a regular break.

“Love love love working with this woman! And luckily for me Shirley and Jean had some great scenes together over the years…well I think so anyway!” Gillian posted.

“Linda Henry creates a wonderful hard edged, soft centred, uncompromising character with Shirley. She takes no prisoners and I enjoyed every scene I played with her because of that! I always wanted these two characters to go on a road trip together!

“Just looking back at a few moments as I look back over the years! Here’s to some new adventures for you Linda and I hope it won’t be too long before I get to play with you again.”

4. Radio silence

When Shirley left the Square in 2022, an EastEnders spokesperson released a statement to say: “Linda Henry will be returning to EastEnders.”

When Digital Spy caught up with executive producer Chris Clenshaw in October 2023 and asked again about Shirley, he replied: “Linda Henry is currently on a break from the show.

“She walked out of Walford last year with Lady Di in the wake of Mick’s disappearance, but it won’t be the last you see of her.”

Since then, though, it’s been radio silence over Shirley’s future in the show and it had become obvious to many fans that plans had changed and the “break” had seemingly become permanent.

Nearly three years had passed, after all…

5. Missed opportunities

When Shirley’s villainous son Dean Wicks returned to Walford in 2023, some viewers pointed out that it seemed a natural point in the narrative where Shirley could make her comeback.

Shirley was mentioned on screen during the storyline, but when a return failed to materialise just when it made the most sense, fans started to lose hope over seeing her again.

We’ve also seen a string of big-name returns over the past year or so, as EastEnders celebrated its 40^th anniversary by delving into the show’s history.

Once again, there was no sign of Shirley making an appearance among the many familiar faces – as much as fans would have loved to see her back.

6. Linda Henry’s return to acting – in another show

While Linda is keeping away from EastEnders, she’s making a return to our screens soon.

Linda is reuniting with Danny Dyer in his comedy show Mr Bigstuff, playing a mechanic called Pam.

“We’ve got Linda Henry, who was Shirley – Danny’s mum – in EastEnders, which is a lovely little Easter egg for the EastEnders crowd,” show creator Ryan Sampson told Radio Times.

“That I’m really excited about. She is amazing.”

The revelation suggests that Linda seems willing to take on acting work when it suits her – just not in EastEnders for now…