Another exit looms for EastEnders, as Dotty Cotton star Milly Zero has announced her decision to leave the BBC soap after three years in the role.
The granddaughter of Dot Branning (June Brown), Dotty returned to Albert Square in 2019 and quickly began to cause drama. Her most memorable storylines have included blackmailing Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) over his part in the death of Denny Rickman (Bleu Landau) and enlisting uncle Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) to con Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) in order to win back her inheritance.
Dotty also had a fling with married Keegan Butcher-Baker (Zack Morris) and struggled to cope with her mum Sandy Gibson’s (Martha Cope) spiralling behaviour.
Now, just as the residents of Walford are set to learn that their beloved Dot has passed away, they’ll be bidding farewell to Dotty, too. But how and when will the character bow out?
Read on as we look into the latest EastEnders exit.
When does Dotty leave EastEnders?
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— Milly Zero (@millyzero) November 13, 2022
Star Zero confirmed the news of her exit on Instagram on Twitter, and it has also been revealed that she has already filmed her final scenes. We know that the cast were shooting Dot’s funeral recently too, so could Dotty’s departure coincide with this?
Either way, it seems we’ll be saying goodbye to Dotty before the end of the year – and viewers will have to tune in to find out exactly when this will be.
“After three and a half years, I have decided my journey with the icon that is Dotty Cotton has come to an end,” the actress explained.
“I can’t tell you how life changing and incredible my time at EastEnders has been, and how much I am going to miss it, but I am ready for new challenges now. Thank you to everyone that made it so special, I have made friends for life, learnt huge amounts and made memories to last a lifetime.”
How will Dotty exit?
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Well, Zero has offered a brief hint at the nature of her last moments on the show. “I can’t wait for you all to watch her exit, she goes out with a bang!” she teased in her statement.
But what could this mean? Will Dotty be leaving dead or alive? “Out with a bang” could quite literally mean anything in the world of soap, so her departure could be explosive enough to end the character’s life, or we could simply find that Dotty leaves a trail of destruction in her wake as she starts a new journey.
Will she commit one final devious act before she goes, or might her vulnerable side be on show as she mourns her grandma?
Perhaps her mother will return in Dotty’s time of need, having began recovery from her addiction. Dotty may well head off to be with Sandy, feeling that there’s nothing left for her in Walford.
With EastEnders set to air Dotty’s final scenes in the coming weeks, we’ll reveal more details here when they come in.
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