EastEnders: Maddy Hill confirms shock exit as Nancy Carter

Maddy Hill has confirmed she has left EastEnders just one year after returning to the soap as Nancy Carter.

Hill's shock departure came as her character was seen leaving Walford at the end of Thursday's (23 June) episode to begin a new life in Manchester.

Hill said upon departing the soap for a second time: "It’s been great revisiting Nancy and the Square over the past year but it felt like the right time to move on for now. I already miss everyone and feel so grateful to work with people I have so much love for."

Read more: Jessie Wallace expresses regrets over arrest

Hill previously starred in the soap between 2014 and 2016 before emigrating with her on-screen partner Tamwar.

In storyline, Nancy returned after the marriage broke down off screen.

Hill's on-screen father Danny Dyer is also set to leave EastEnders later this year with him promising a "powerful" exit.

Dyer said earlier this year: "Let me tell you something – Mick's exit is going to be a very, very powerful thing. I would love the door to be left open, and as far as I know it is. So who knows. When I go out there and I fail miserably I can come back with my tail between my legs and go, 'Will you take me back?'"

Dyer also explained his reasons for stepping away from the soap which he joined in a shock move in 2013: "There's no big story around it, really. Other than the fact I've decided to go off and try some other stuff. I'm 44 now, and I've had nine years of playing Mick and I think he needs to be rested. I'm still looking for that defining role. Maybe it is there, maybe it isn't."

He continued: "But I've always been quite ambitious and I had quite a long career before I went into EastEnders. I know the landscape has changed slightly but I want to go out there and have another go, and the only way I can do that is if I decide to walk away from the job."

Before joining EastEnders, Dyer was best known for his roles in cult films The Football Factory, The Business and Human Traffic.

Watch below: EastEnders cast on the show's shake-up