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"EastEnders star Gillian Wright has landed a new deal which will see her return to the BBC soap in the spring, Digital Spy can exclusively reveal. Back in April, it was confirmed that the actress&amp;#039;s character Jean Slater will be leaving Walford at the end of this year. The news emerged alongside the announcement that Wright&amp;#039;s screen daughter Lacey Turner had decided to bow out from her role as Stacey. However, in a surprise twist, the show&amp;#039;s team have now created a comeback storyline for Jean - although details of how and why she will return to Albert Square are currently being kept closely under wraps. An EastEnders spokesperson today told DS: &amp;quot;Jean Slater will leave Walford around the end of this year, however we&amp;#039;re pleased to say she will return to our screens in spring 2011.  &amp;quot;Everyone knows Stacey will make a dramatic departure from Albert Square on Christmas Day, but we don&amp;#039;t want to say too much about what this means for Jean at this point as we want viewers to enjoy the drama as it unfolds on screen.&amp;quot; Wright has played the role of Jean on and off since 2004, originally appearing as a minor cast member before later becoming a Walford regular. Her portrayal of Jean&amp;#039;s bipolar disorder has received particular acclaim, including from the mental health charity Mind. Earlier this year, the star told DS that her time with EastEnders has been &amp;quot;wonderful&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;a privilege&amp;quot;. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/news/a289920/jean-slater-to-stay-on-eastenders/>