Actress Kirsty Curtis has expressed her heartfelt thanks to her fellow cast members and the rest of the team in EastEnders as she reflected on her time on the soap on Instagram.
Kirsty’s character Keeley Wainwright first came onto the show when Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) went to Milton Keynes.
The two women hooked up when Whitney confronted Keeley about her treatment of her daughter Britney (Lola Campbell) and Whitney offered Keeley money to take Britney off her hands and return her to Albert Square.
This storyline paved the way for Whitney’s departure from the show after 16 years.
Kirsty’s time on the show may have been short but it had a huge impact on the actress who says in her post:
“I hired Keeley at a very dark time in my life, I didn’t even know if I was capable of doing the job at the time. Playing you was heartbreaking, emotional and really painful, but such a liberating thing. She helped me through my struggles. Without you, I’m not sure where I would be today.”
The post is accompanied by a gallery of photos, including some scenes in which Kirsty appears alongside co-stars Patsy Palmer and James Farrar. Kirsty has previously paid tribute to her old friend James Farrar and here she thanks him for ‘looking after me and being my coach off-screen to go through the scripts with me and keeping me positive every day.’
She also thanks EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw for entrusting her with the role and says the job ‘saved’ her.
“I feel so privileged to have been part of the soap opera I watched as a child,” she wrote. ‘I’ve always dreamed of being there. I have never felt so at home in my entire life. I waited so long to be a part of this show, and although it was short and sweet, it was well worth the wait.”
Other photos in the gallery show Keeley being arrested by police, and another shows her sitting in her dressing room with bruises on her makeup and dark circles around her eyes. Kirsty thanks the show’s make-up and wardrobe team ‘for not making me look so glamorous every day.’
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After also thanking her co-stars Patsy and Shona – saying she has made ‘a special friend for life’ in Shona – she has a special note for her on-screen daughter Britney, played by Lola Campbell. “My on-screen superstar daughter, @lola_campbell_2010. I saw you in ‘Scrapper’ and was eager to work with you.”
Kirsty says she ‘denies’ leaving the show and ‘can’t believe it’s over.’ She signs off in the hope that she will return one day.
‘Who knows, Keeley Wainwright might return to Albert Square. 😜 Until next time Walford 🔥🎬❤️’.
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