Remember Mary Smith?
She was Walford’s original wild child who often made her life more difficult for herself by being stubborn and defensive. Mary was her own worst enemy who pushed her friends and family away.
She arrived in Walford in 1985 and stayed on the square until 1988.
Her occupation whilst on Eastenders was a stripper and a laundrette assistant, whilst in Walford, she fell pregnant, starts taking drugs, begging on the square and becomes a prostitute – it’s safe to say she had some interesting storylines.
But where’s she been since leaving the show?….
After leaving the show, she appeared in various different TV shows such as Crimewatch, then went on to doing stage performances.
She went on to work in digital media in the 00s for the BBC and Channel 4 then became the director of business strategy for Discovery Communications. In 2011, she founded her own business, a network of broadcast and digital media industry experts.
She now lives in London with her partner and her son.
Here’s What These Memorable EastEnders Characters From The 80s Look Like Now!
Deepak Verma (Sanjay Kapoor) Then
Sanjay – played by Deepak Verma, quickly became one of the shows favourites. He set out to get richer and richer and it ended up leading him astray and turning intoa gambling addiction. He was one of the shows most followed characters at the time.
Deepak Verma (Sanjay Kapoor) Now
He left in 1998 and this certainly was not the end of his ambitions. He actually set up his own television and production company called Pukkanasha Films which was aiming to increase diversity in film. In 2017 he was awarded an MBE for service to the arts.
Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) Then
Adam Woodyatt joined EastEnders back in 1985 and has also become one of the most well known characters of all time. He has also earned himself the title of the most married character – having been married an impressive five times to different women.
Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) Now
Adam Woodyatt is still playing the character of Ian Beale in Eastenders much to fans delight. He has been on the show almost 40 years now. And, he has slowed down slightly as he also likes to do the occasional show performance.
Barbara Windsor (Peggy Mitchell) Then
‘Get outta my pub’. We all remember this iconic line from Peggy Mitchell. She was the land lady of the pub and a fierce character. Peggy Mitchell wasn’t someone to cross and she became one of the biggest Eastender stars ever.
Barbara Windsor (Peggy Mitchell) Now
Windsor made the hard decision to leave the show in 2010 and then decided to come back in 2016 for her last ever appearance before the character was killed off. She knew if this wasn’t the case she’d always want to play Peggy. Now she does no acting, but she has done some voice over work for Disney.
Martin Kemp (Steve Owen) Then
Martin Kemp became one of Eastender’s cast in 1998. And, in 2004 he starred in the show for the last time before his character was killed in a car crash explosion. Despite not being in the show for long, he was a part of the biggest storylines during his time, for example the murder of Saskia Duncan.
Martin Kemp (Steve Owen) Now
After his soap opera career, he opted to go onto the stage. He did many shows, such as Peter Pan where he played Captain Hook. He’s also taken part in lots of reality TV. His latest was the 2012 Big Brother show where he came third.
Tom Watt (Lofty Holloway) Then
Tom Watt played the helpless character Lofty Holloway. People had a soft spot for Lofty because he always seemed to be quite vulnerable. He was one of the original cast and he starred in the third ever episode of the show.
Tom Watt (Lofty Holloway) Now
But, after this he had a change in career direction. He has a passion for sports and he became a regular feature on the radio and even wrote David Beckham’s book for him. He has enjoyed a long career as a sports journalist.
Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) Then
Sharon Watts – this is a name which everyone knows. She played this character for 10 years and her character was often in plots linked with Phil and Grant Michell. The three of them were always caught in some kind of love affair. The episode where Grant finds out about the affair remains one of the most watched ever.
Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) Now
She never fully parted with her character Sharon Watts and has gone back to play her briefly over the years. But, aswell as this she’s gone into singing and released some songs. She also loves to tour, taking part in on stage productions.
Gillian Taylforth (Kathy Beale) Then
Kathy Beale became a household name. She has played this character since 1985. She’s been a part of a number of huge storylines. She was finally killed off in Eastenders after going to South Africa with her son and never returning.
Gillian Taylforth (Kathy Beale) Now
Despite in the show having reportedly been killed in a car accident, Kathy Beale returned to the screen in 2016. Being such a popular character, nobody ever wanted Beale to disappear from the show. She now still regularly appears and stuns everyone with her looks despite being 66 years old.
Dean Gaffey (Robbie Jackson) Then
Dean Gaffey first came to the show as a teenager. He played a troublesom teen who struggled to get his head down and stay on track, he also had no luck with the ladies. But, since he started on the show he became a regular feature.
Dean Gaffey (Robbie Jackson) Now
Gaffey finally quit the show in 2003 after 10 years. After that, he did not do too much acting. However he has done multiple guest appearances on shows. And, has taken part in a few reality shows for example, I’m A Celebrity.
Michael French (David Wicks) Then
David Wicks was a bit of a lethario on the show, he was regularly involved in some kind of love triangle, or affair or heart break. He had a tense relationship with many of the characters on the show, and so he became central to the drama on the show.
Michael French (David Wicks) Now
After Eastenders, he went on to star in other Soap Operas. He found his success with this style of acting and continued for many years. After that he appeared in a couple of West End shows. Now, his acting career has slowed down and he is not a regular on any shows at the moment.
