EastEnders star Clair Norris has spoken out after being axed from the BBC soap following eight years of playing Bernie Taylor.
The 27-year-old actress had been involved in some of the soap’s major recent plotlines, including the years-long story of the murder of her on-screen brother Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), which sparked the iconic “The Six” plot.
However, her time as the last member of the Taylor family will soon come to an end. Breaking her silence, Norris shared a candid post about keeping her “head high” as she marked her final Soap Award event as part of the London-based soap.
She was soon supported by her former co-stars, who gushed over her photos and proud statement.
The weekend’s British Soap Awards saw stars from across the realm of UK soap operas celebrating the year’s drama and stand-out performances.
Taking to Instagram, Norris shared some glam snaps taken at the event, where she sported a teal dress and wore her hair in an updo.
She captioned the social media post: “My last @thebritishsoapawards with my EE family. We [broom emoji] up last night, 8 awards & I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this team!
“What a way to end this amazing journey, head held high & beaming from ear to ear.”
It was confirmed last month that Bernie would be making her exit from Albert Square, with an EastEnders spokesperson announcing in May: “We can confirm that Clair will be leaving EastEnders later this year and we wish her all the best for the future.”
Norris’ fellow soap actors soon flooded her post with supportive messages in response, with Zack Hudson star James Farrar highlighting: “Head held HIGH.”
Honey Mitchell actor Emma Barton wrote: “Love you,” while Diane Parish, who portrays Denise Fox, simply left three red love heart emojis in the comments.
Fans also expressed their disappointment and rushed to compliment Norris’s glitzy look at the awards.
“You will be so missed – so disappointed we’re losing you. Not the same without the Taylor-Bakers,” one wrote.
“You were looking sensational and honestly it’s so sad you’ll be leaving the show,” another echoed.
Someone else shared: “I will miss you, I loved your character. All the best for the future.”
“Beautiful, I will really miss you not [being] in EastEnders all the luck and best wishes for your next adventure xx,” another remarked. (sic)
Norris’ character Bernie arrived in Walford in 2017 as part of the Taylor family, with on-screen mum Karen played by Lorraine Stanley, who has also sparked celebratory responses this week.
However, the family members soon made their exits one by one, and, after Walters’ character Keanu was killed off, Norris was the only member of the Taylor clan left.
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It’s understood Norris took the news of Bernie’s exit in her stride, with a source stating: “Every time a soap gets a new boss they want to make their own changes – it’s nothing personal.”
Speaking to The Sun, they continued: “The writing has been on the wall for Bernie for some time, so it wasn’t really a surprise to Clair.
“She was the last Taylor standing and it’s time to close the chapter on them and let Clair go on to do other things.”
