Entertainment

EastEnders bids farewell to Steven Beale as Aaron Sidwell leaves soap

The character died in hospital after declaring his love for Abi Branning.
The character died in hospital after declaring his love for Abi Branning. The character died in hospital after declaring his love for Abi Branning.

Steven Beale’s long brain tumour deception came to an end as the character was revealed to be the victim of EastEnders’ dramatic gas explosion.

Fans had been speculating about who might die in the blast, after show bosses confirmed actor Aaron Sidwell would be leaving the show.

Beale took his last breath in hospital after confessing his love to Abi Branning, who in turn admitted she was pregnant with his baby.

He had been lying to his family and girlfriend Lauren, Abi’s sister, about having a brain tumour to trap Lauren into an engagement.

Fans were sorry to see the long-serving villain go, with one writing: “Not gonna lie… proper GUTTED they killed off Steven Beale. I remember when he born 😢 #eastenders #stevenbeale @aaronsidwell *soap strop*.”

Another said: “RIP Steven Beale – who’s been causing chaos since 26th Dec ’89. Thanks @aaronsidwell (and your old faces) for the ride – you’ll be missed! X”

Another wrote: “Gutted they killed him off, I just wanted him to leave #RIPStevenBeale.”https://twitter.com/emmsxox/status/906244465098194950

Sidwell thanked fans for their support on Twitter, writing: “Amazing 10 year period of my life. Thank you @bbceastenders and Steven Beale.”

In the final moments of Friday’s dramatic episode it was revealed Beale’s step-mother Jane had managed to survive the fire he started, but there was tragedy for Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) when she suffered a miscarriage.

The moving scenes left some viewers in tears, with one tweeting: “Legit just cried like an idiot at Bernadette’s miscarriage.”

Another said: “Sorry I’ve just been waiting forever for someone to show the world a genuine portrayal of miscarriage and #Eastenders FINALLY did it.”

Another wrote: “Thank you @bbceastenders for showing the brutal side of miscarriage most others tend to avoid. Heartbreaking but so real.”

EastEnders continues at 8pm on Monday on BBC One.