Madeline Duggan 'glad' Jacqueline Jossa replaced her on 'EastEnders'

Julia Hunt
·Contributor
Updated ·2 min read
Madeline Duggan arriving for the 2010 British Soap Awards at the ITV Studios, South Bank, London (PA)
Madeline Duggan arriving for the 2010 British Soap Awards at the ITV Studios, South Bank, London (PA)

Ex-EastEnders actress Madeline Duggan has admitted she is happy that soap bosses replaced her with Jacqueline Jossa as it “worked out for the best”.

The actress, now 26, starred as Albert Square’s Lauren Branning from 2006 to 2010, when Jossa stepped into the role.

Duggan posted a message about her Walford days on Twitter this week as an old episode of the BBC soap aired, joking about the hairstyle she sported then.

Read more: Jacqueline Jossa says I'm A Celebrity was 'worse than giving birth'

One fan asked what it was like for her when Jossa, now 27, took over as Lauren.

Duggan said: “Unmmmmmmm I understand it more now lol I looked like a baby in that ep and I was tiny and didn’t grow (still only 5’2) so I get that they wanted someone older to play different story lines & I'm very glad it happened.”

Jacqueline Jossa attends the Jacqueline Jossa x In The Style Launch Party at Tape in London. (Photo by Brett Cove / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
Jacqueline Jossa attends the Jacqueline Jossa x In The Style Launch Party at Tape in London. (Brett Cove / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)

She went on: “I was very young and it give (sic) me options to do other things and get an American agent and enjoy some teenage life without being on screen lol worked out for the best.”

After waving Walford goodbye, Duggan went on to appear in the film Everyone’s Going To Die and she has also appeared in TV shows such as Dates, The Tunnel and By Any Means.

Earlier this year, the actress revealed that she also has a part-time job at a doctor’s surgery.

Read more: Tameka Empson secretly welcomed baby during break from soap

Saying she was worried after hearing that people were avoiding hospital appointments because of the coronavirus pandemic, she tweeted: “I know this because I work in a doctors surgery part time (because being an out of work actress doesn’t pay lol).”