Actress Kirsty Curtis has expressed her heartfelt thanks to her fellow cast members and the rest of the EastEnders team as she took to Instagram to reflect on her time in the soap.
Kirsty’s character Keeley Wainwright first entered the show when Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) went to Milton Keynes.
The two women locked horns as Whitney confronted Keeley over her treatment of her daughter Britney (Lola Campbell) and Whitney offered Keeley money to take Britney off her hands and take her back to Albert Square.
This storyline paved the way for Whitney’s departure from the show after 16 years.
Kirsty’s time on the show may have been short, but it had a huge impact on the actress, who says in her post:
“I took on Keeley at a really dark time in my life, I didn’t even know if I was capable of doing the job at that point. Playing you was heartbreaking, emotional and really painful, but having that kind of release helped me get through my struggle, without you I’m not sure where I’d be today.”
The post is accompanied by a photo gallery, some of the scenes show Kirsty appearing alongside co-stars Patsy Palmer and James Farrar. Kirsty has previously paid tribute to her old friend James Farrar, thanking him for looking after me and being my off-screen coach, discussing scripts with me and keeping me calm every day.
She also thanks EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw for giving her the role and says the job “saved” her.
“I feel so privileged to have been a part of the soap I grew up on,” she wrote. “I’ve always dreamed of being there. I have never felt so at home in my life. I’ve waited so long to be apart of this show, and even though it was short and sweet, it was worth the wait.”
Other images in the gallery show Keeley being arrested by police and another in her dressing room with bruises and dark circles around her eyes. Kirsty thanks the show’s make-up and wardrobe team “for not being this glamorous every day”.
Follow Metro Soaps on WhatsApp and get all the latest spoilers first!
Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who is leaving Coronation Street? The latest Emmerdale gossip?
Join 10,000 soap fans in Metro’s WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-see videos and exclusive interviews.
Simply click this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in the game! Don’t forget to turn on your notifications to see when we’ve just dropped the latest spoilers!
After also thanking her co-stars Patsy and Shona – saying she’s made a “special friend for life” in Shona – she has a special note for her daughter Britney, played by Lola Campbell. ‘My screen superstar daughter, @lola_campbell_2010 I watched you in ‘Scrapper’ and wanted to work with you.’
Kirsty says she is ‘in denial’ about leaving the show and ‘can’t believe it’s over.’ He leaves with the hope that one day he can return.
“Who knows, Keeley Wainwright may return to Albert Square. 😜 Until next time Walford 🔥🎬❤️’.
MORE: Coronation Street and Emmerdale pulled from TV for second time in a row as fans scream
MORE: Coronation Street star Joel Calum Lill gets engaged to girlfriend with help from colleague
MORE: EastEnders star Kush Davood Ghadami lands leading role in ‘epic’ Hollywood show
Soap reporter
Subscribe to Soaps daily updates and our weekly Editor’s Special for juicy exclusives and interviews. Privacy Policy
This page is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google’s privacy policy and terms of service apply.