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.
Esther Bloom
On 11 April 2018, it was announced that Franks had decided to leave the show and had already filmed her final scenes in March. The actress stated that she had enjoyed her time in the role and cited the departure of on-screen grandmother Frankie as a reason for Esther being written out. Franks stated that the show's producer Bryan Kirkwood brought her departure about. He told her "look, we just think we've come to an end with Esther." She was in agreement with him because of her character's lengthy tenure and storylines. Anna Shaffer reprised her role as Esther's foster sister Ruby Button for the character's exit. Esther decides to move to Spain with Ruby after Darcy Wilde (Aisling Jarrett-Gavin) poisons her and she argues with Jack. Esther final scenes aired on 30 April 2018.