EastEnders is set to be hit with a shock exit in coming weeks, with a major star departing his role in the iconic BBC One soap.

With the show fast approaching a dramatic 40th anniversary, Jonny Freeman is confirmed to be leaving his role as killer Reiss Colwell.

Perhaps not a huge surprise. After accidentally framing his partner Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) for the murder of his wife, he has been tying himself in impossible knots.

It all got even more complicated for him when Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) found out his crime – and he reacted by kidnapping her and holding her hostage.

Sonia is about to stand trial and it remains to be seen whether the jury will find her guilty or not guilty.

The fate of Bianca also hangs in the balance but, as for Reiss, his chapter is set to close soon.

In fact, Jonny has already filmed his final scenes, as he was pictured enjoying a leaving party with other members of the cast.

Previous to that, pictures of the exploded Queen Vic – which will be consumed by fire during the 40th anniversary characters – showed what looked to be Reiss’ car slammed into the rubble.

So does this prove that a fatal ending is on the cards?

The anniversary looks set to be one hell of a show. Ross Kemp has reprised his role as Grant Mitchell, most likely as part of Phil’s (Steve McFadden) loneliness storyline.

Meanwhile, in a live episode, viewers will decide the outcome on a love triangle centred on Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).

And to top it all off – as if that weren’t enough – the attacker of Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) will be unmasked.

Additionally, this is EastEnders, so you can expect plenty of secrets held back too…