Michelle Fowler
Michelle Fowler (also Holloway) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera "EastEnders", played by Susan Tully from the first episode in 1985 until the character's departure in 1995. In December 2016, it was announced Michelle would be returning to the show after 21 years, with actress Jenna Russell taking over the role making her first appearance on 24 December 2016. In her first stint Michelle made some huge mistakes during her time in Albert Square mainly through having a habit of choosing the wrong men and her stubborn nature meant that she rarely accepted help or listened to good advice. Being determined and outspoken, she has never been afraid to defend herself or her beliefs. Since the recast to Russell in 2016, Michelle's storylines have revolved around her having had an illegal relationship with her student, Preston Cooper (Martin Anzor) in America, a love triangle involving her niece Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield), crashing Phil Mitchell car into the local chip shop and being stalked by Tom Bailey (Daniel Casey). Russell's departure from the show was announced in March 2018, and Michelle departed on 17 April 2018.
Steve Elliot
From 1991 to 1994, Steve made two exits and returns to the soap. In 1993, "The Independent" reported that the character was being written out of "EastEnders". Steve was one of several characters to be written out that year in what the press dubbed the "Albert Square Massacre". However, as Colin Brake summised in the book "EastEnders: The First 10 Years", "since like Frank Sinatra [Steve] always seems to make another comeback, perhaps we will list this as a temporary disappearance." In the storyline, Steve, faced with an imminent marriage to Hattie which he did not want to commit to, jilted her, not knowing she was pregnant with his child. Actress Michelle Gayle quit the serial towards the end of 1993, and Steve was used in an unrequited-lust storyline with a new character, Della Alexander (Michelle Joseph) upon his return early in 1994. Initially, writers lead the audience to believe that Della was designed to be a new love interest for Steve, however as the plot developed it was revealed that she was actually the soap's first lesbian character.