EastEnders star Ellie Dadd has shared an update on her character’s future on the soap after she’s been cast in another project.

Dadd has been playing Amy Mitchell on the BBC One soap since 2022. Alongside appearing on the soap, the star has another project lined up this Christmas.

“I started panto when I was six,” Dadd said (via Mirror).

This year, the actor will take a quick detour to the fictional village of Villeneuve, France, as she takes on the role of Belle in a panto version of Beauty and the Beast.

“Isn’t it every girl’s dream to play a princess at least once in their lives?” Dadd said.

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While she’ll be expected to rehearse and put on two shows a day, Dadd reassured fans that Amy isn’t going anywhere.

“They’re just letting me have a couple of weeks off and then I’ll be back,” she confirmed.

While in the role of Belle, she might even use her experience on the BBC set to deal with potential setbacks.

“EastEnders has taught me a lot,” she said.

“We film 14 scenes a day and we’re there five days a week. And if a scene is not going to plan, things need to change quickly. You learn to trust your instincts,” she added.

“If things go wrong, you’re like, ‘Okay, that’s fine. We can sort it.’ Everybody’s there for you.”

joel, tommy moon, amy mitchell, eastenders

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Dadd also said that she has Strictly Come Dancing in her sights, but that may call for a longer stint away from the Square.

“If I had the opportunity to do it, I’d absolutely love to do it,” she said, looking to become the latest EastEnders star to take to the dance floor after Rose Ayling-Ellis, Jamie Borthwick, Bobby Brazier and Molly Rainford, amongst others.

Beauty and the Beast runs at Fairfield Halls, London, from 12 December till 4 January, with tickets available to buy now.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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