John Partridge hints at possible EastEnders return as Christian Clarke
He left the soap in 2012
EastEnders fans were devastated when Christian Clarke departed Albert Square for good in 2012 with his lover, Syed Masood, in 2012. Their love story made both characters incredibly popular, but actor John Partridge was written out of the soap following Syed actor Marc Elliott's decision to leave.
John has made a few brief returns to the soap as Christian, most notably in 2014 after Lucy Beale was killed by her younger brother Bobby, with his last appearance in Walford being in 2016.
However, in an appearance on Loose Women earlier today, John revealed that he'd never rule out a return to the soap, and hinted that it could happen in the future.
He told the panel, "People always say, 'Do you get fed up of people talking to you about Christian?', and I'm so proud of Christian.
"I'm so proud of that storyline because it just became about two people in love in impossible circumstances. I think everybody can relate to that no matter sexuality, race, religion... That's what it became about."
Swipe through to see all the EastEnders spoilers you need to know for next week...
The week kicks off with Whitney and Callum's wedding but things get off to a bad start following Callum's recent confession – he had a fling with Ben.
Whitney struggles to put her fears aside but Callum is determined to convince her that he still wants to marry her. Will he convince her in time before the ceremony?
Over to Sonia Fowler and she panic when her wedding surprise – Bianca returning – is nowhere to be found. It's not long before Tiffany Butcher accidentally reveals the surprise to the bride-to-be and soon after they figure out where Bianca is.
Whitney then makes it clear that she's definitely not getting married without Bianca there and sets off to find her – leaving Callum worried about whether they'll tie the knot or not.
Callum steps in and helps his fiancée and they manage to track down Bianca. After arriving at the venue in time all seems to be going well until Whitney spots Ben there and ends up confronting him.
Whitney knows the truth about her husband's relationship with Ben – will they couple end up saying their vows or will their day end in devastation?
Later, Sonia gives Bianca a reality check about what's really been happening in Tiffany's life. She decides to have a chat with her daughter about everything that went down with Evie Steele.
Elsewhere on the Square Mel and Hunter finally prepare to leave Walford behind and start their new life and just as they're about to drive off, Lisa stops them.
While Hunter is hiding in the boot of the car, Mel goes inside and talks to Lisa who is begging her for help – Keanu Taylor and Louise Mitchell need to leave the country.
Lisa worries about what the future holds and it gives Mel an idea – why don't they all leave the Square together.
Unfortunately when she returns to the car she's horrified to discover that Hunter and the gun has gone missing…
Keanu sneaks off to find Ben despite Louise warning him that they have to lay low. Phil is curious when he discovers Lisa is back in the Square and quickly calls Ben to find out what's happening.
Mel continues to worry about Hunter's whereabouts but she's distracted when Phil barges in and demands to know whether Louise is.
Lisa tries to cover for their daughter but it's not long before Phil puts two and two together and realises his daughter is not far…
It finally dawns on Mel that Hunter is after Jack but she's unaware that he's waiting in the Branning house. However it's Denise Fox who returns and comes face to face with the troubled teenager.
It doesn't take Hunter long to realise Jack is at The Vic and he sneaks into the barrel store with the gun…
Keanu finally tries down Ben and tries to force him to withdraw his statement but they end up struggling to contain their anger…
Elsewhere in the Square, Louise tries to find Keanu and it's not long before Bex Fowler sees her. The girls decide to rush into the Vic to avoid being spotted by Sharon.
Hunter is hellbent on getting revenge on Jack but his plan spirals out of control and results in deadly consequences. It's not long before the rest of the residents are caught in the crossfire of Hunter's plan and all hell breaks loose…
After Phil learns that Keanu is back he demands Lisa contact Louise asap. Keanu prepares to leave Walford but shares an emotional goodbye with his brother Keegan Baker. Soon after Sharon Mitchell arrives – what does she want?
Over at The Vic, Lola struggles to hide her feelings from Jay Brown – will she tell him? Or will she continue to remain friends?
Last week Iqra Ahmed came out to her grandparents but this week she's in a bad mood and Tina Carter is determined to get to the bottom of it.
When asked whether he'd consider returning to the Square, John said, "Listen, I’m a jobbing actor, I say yes an awful lot. I never say never to anything. I’m happy where I am right now but who knows.
"Christian might get sick of Birmingham and he might come back, you never know."
Sound pretty positive!
Since leaving EastEnders, John has performed in many theatre shows as well as a stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house and on Celebrity MasterChef.
Tune into Northern Ireland’s number 1 for music, Cool FM on 97.4FM, online, on our Rayo app, your DAB radio, or say ‘Play Cool FM’ on your Smart Speaker. We play you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists, from Pete Snodden in the morning to the NI Hit 40.