We all used to watch Eastenders when we were growing up. In fact, the majority of us still do today (whether we admit it or not we’re addicted to the drama). With unlimited supplies of tragedy, there hasn’t been a quiet Christmas, Easter or Tuesday afternoon in the square for as long as we can remember. But those familiar faces we’ve grown up with have certainly changed a fair bit over the years – and undoubtedly aged from the stress of living in Albert Square. Here’s what they all look like in real life!
Louisa Lytton (Ruby Allen) – Then
Louisa Lytton was once a huge star on TV, appearing most famously in EastEnders in 2005. Once the baby-faced teen on TV, she has now been showing off her sun-kissed abs and body on social media.
The former soap star shared snaps of herself after a recent stint on the West End in Grease and she has certainly grown up a lot! Aside from Eastenders, she has also acted in The Bill and placed fourth in Strictly Come Dancing in 2008.
Louisa Lytton (Ruby Allen) – Now
The former soap star has recently finished performing in Grease: The Musical playing Rizzo after having appeared in Les Misérables, Annie and touring the UK and Prague in A Midsummer Nights Dream and Much Ado About Nothing.
Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones)
Ben Mitchell (the original) started off as a meek, mild mannered child who would go on to be caught up in a number of complicated storylines over the years. Ben would go onto battle it out with his dad over his decision to take up dancing, but he would also become caught in a massive child abuse storyline with his dad’s girlfriend/wife, Stella.
Charlie Jones (Ben Mitchell)
Charle’s depiction of Ben had a number of iconic moments over the years, including the Lady Gaga dance routines. After being recast, the actor behind the original Ben Mitchell is currently training as an actor.
Charlie Jones is now going by the stage name Charlie Chambers. Now 21 years old, he is in a loving relationship with Flora London (an aspiring actress). According to Charlie’s Instagram account, the pair appears to have a loving relationship.
Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman)
Dennis entered the show in 2003 and made his last appearance in 2005 when he was fatally stabbed as the New Year’s Eve fireworks were going off. He was part of the Watts family, but his identity was unknown for almost thirty years.
Dennis had that roguish manner, a bad boy and a young Dirt Den. He had a secret forbidden romance with adopted sister Sharon and butted heads with Phil Mitchell and Johnny Allen. Dennis was portrayed by Nigel Harman who was voted as a soap sex symbol. He won Best Newcomer award in 2004-5 along with a few other awards.
Nigel Harman (Dennis Rickman)
After leaving Eastenders in 2005, Harman decided to go down the route of Theatre productions, like many other actors, He played Lord Farquaad in the musical of Shrek in 2010 and 2012 and he played the role of Simon Cowell in the West End Musical I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical which opened in 2014, just to name a few of his roles.
Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth)
One of the series’ original characters, appearing in the first episode in 1985, Kathy developed a romance with Phil Mitchell with whom they later had child Ben. She featured in high-profile storyline involving her reconnecting with her long lost daughter Donna following being raped as a teenager.
Gillian Taylforth (Kathy Beale) – Now
Taylforth decided to leave the show in 1997 so her character Kathy moved to South Africa with Ben. Since Eastenders, she has gone on to appear in Footballers’ Wives, The Bill, Loose Women and Strictly Come Dancing as a celebrity contestant.
She returned to Eastenders (despite the fact that we thought she was dead!) and continues to be a regular on the show. As of this year, she is 5th longest-serving actress in the history of the show having played Kathy for 19 years.
Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) – Then
Another show original, Sharon was just a teen when the first episode aired. The adoptive daughter of Den and Angie Watts, she remained prominent as she caused chaos flitting between the Mitchell brothers.
Married to Grant but having an affair with Phil, the storyline was dubbed Sharongate. Grant finding out about the affair actually remains one of Eastender’s highest viewed episodes. After the breakdown of her marriage, Sharon left the role but has been introduced back many times since.
Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) – Now
She has also appeared on Grange Hill, Brokside, The Hello Girls and Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married. Aside from acting she starred in the West End Production of High School Musical in 2008, and in the UK tour of Calendar Girls.
Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) – Then
Ian Beale. The longest serving character and the only remaining original character who has appeared in Eastenders continuously, he has definitely served his time on the show. He is also the most married character with FIVE marriages to four different women. Ian has also had two engagements that were called off and had three children; Peter, Lucy and Bobby.
Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) – Now
In terms of awards and accolades, Ian has won “Best Perfomance in a Serial Drama” at the National Television awards, a “Lifetime Achievement Award” at The British Soap Awards in 2015 and was once voted one of the top five television characters “we most love to hate”.
Aside from Eastenders, Woodyatt has been a guest personality on game shows and charity fundraisers, performed in a Pantomime and is an accomplished photographer; winning an award in 2008. A man of many talents…
Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) – Then
Sonia was first introduced to Albert Square in 1993 with her family; The Fowlers. Her first big storyline was going into labour after not knowing she was pregnant, giving birth to Martin Fowlers baby. Drama never ceases in the square and Sonia became obsessed with the baby, abducting her until she is eventually persuaded to return the baby.
Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Fowler) – Now
In 2007, Cassidy decided to take a break from the square but never ruled out returning to the role of Sonia and she reprised the role four times, being a regular from 2014.
Outside of the acting world, Natalie has released a fitness DVD which became the fastest selling weigh-loss DVD in Britain ever. She is now engaged to cameraman Marc Humphreys with whom she had her second child in August 2016.
Lorna Cartwright (Janet Dibley) – Then
Lorna was introduced primarily to break up Phil Mitchell and Kathy Beale’s marriage. After meeting in AA (both of the struggling with alcoholism) and being overtly attracted to each other, they started an affair that Phil felt guiltier and guiltier about.
He called off the affair but Lorna was persistent in her desire, even giving him a hand-written suicide note. Phil’s wife founds out and their marriage breaks down. Lorna returned 18 years later when Phil returned to to an alcoholic support group yet this time she was leading the group.
Janet Dibley (Lorna Cartwright)
Aside from Eastenders, Janet has acted in Doctors, Casualty, Broadchurch and Coronation Street as well as performing on stage in Carousel, Twelfth night, Guys and Dolls and Cinderella.
Jamie Mitchell (Jack Ryder) – Then
Robbie Fowler fans had to double take when this photo of Jack Ryder emerged online. He was a teenage heartthrob back in the day, but he’s sporting a much different look now, with a lot less hair and a pair of glasses; he’s almost unrecognisable!
Jack Ryder (Jamie Mitchell) – Now
He married Coronation Street’s Kym Marsh in 2002 but divorced in 2009. Jack went on to direct for several films and theatre productions and is currently touring for the production of The Full Monty.
Jamie did also make a small on-screen appearance on Casualty last summer. Last November, it was announced that Ryder will be a new addition to the cast of Holby City as the new Consultant General Surgeon.
Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) – Then
Lorraine Stanley, who plays Karen Taylor in Eastenders, is usually seen wearing double denim with her hair in a messy bun and a cig in her hand, but in real life she couldn’t look any different.
Lorraine attended the awards at London’s Grosvenor House with her co-star Emma Barton and her smart look was world’s apart from the loud-mouthed character she plays in Eastenders.
With her chic blue dress, Lorraine paired it with a cream overcoat, black tights and black boots. She finished the look with a silver clutch-bag and accessories to match.
Compared to her character Karen Taylor on Eastenders, Lorraine wore her hair down with it hanging just above her shoulders which we would never see Karen doing. Usually Karen wears it shoved up on the top of her head, a common, easy look for people that are always rushed off their feet.
Lorraine walked the red carpet with a wide range of stars to celebrate the best in TV and radio and she looked incredible! But this isn’t the first time the Eastenders actress has impressed viewers with her character transformations.
At this years National Television Awards earlier this year, Lorraine opted to wear a gorgeous long navy gown. A similar colour to the shorter dress she wore this week.
Back in 2010, Lorraine attended the Made In Dagenham UK film premier that was held at the Odeon in Leicester Square in London. Here she was wearing a green number which she paired with gold heels and a gold clutch.
On Eastenders, Lorraine Stanley plays Karen Taylor, who first appeared on the street with her four children Keanu, Keegan Baker, Bernadette and Riley and Chatham in June 2017. The actors all play the part of a rowdy family that cause a bit of havoc to their neighbours.
When she was casted for the role, Lorraine said that she has always grown up watching Eastenders,
“I’m chuffed to be cast in such an iconic show that I’ve grown up watching. Working with my new family is really quite special, and I’m proud to play their mum.”
Some of the biggest fans of Eastenders might have already recognised Lorraine when she appeared in June 2017 because she actually featured on the soap as Thelma Bragg in 2017. She even played young Mo Harris in Eastenders’ spin-off Pat and Mo.
In 2016, when Lorraine played Thelma Bragg, she was actually one of Kellie Bright’s character, Linda Carter’s, friends.
In the eight episodes she appeared in as Thelma, she was actually part of one of the biggest storylines that year. Thelma’s daughter Linzi (Star being her real name) was part of Jay’s underage sex storyline as Linzi was just 14 when she slept with Jay who was in his early twenties.
Thelma’s most famous scene was when she stormed into the Queen Vic to speak to Jay and she ended up calling him a “nonce”.
Thanks for reading!