She had originally intended to take a break from the show for eight months, but now Jo Joyner who plays the Square’s Tanya Branning, has decided that she will be leaving the show indefinitely.

According to Digital Spy, the actress made the decision in order to spend more time with her family and to pursue new projects. Joyner commented: "I love playing Tanya and being part of such a great show, but she has been on quite a rollercoaster over the past seven years and I have come to realise that it's right for her to step away from Walford for a bit longer than originally planned.”

Tanya has been the centre of some huge storylines over the years, including Max’s affair with his son’s wife Stacey, a cancer scare and daughter Lauren’s alcoholism most recently.

Executive Producer Lorraine Newman commented: "As the mother of Lauren, Abi and Oscar and the on/off wife to the ever errant Max, life for Tanya has never been easy. However, Jo Joyner's portrayal of Tanya allowed viewers to instantly fall in love with her, creating the cement for a great family.” 

Show bosses have remained quiet about how they will write Tanya out of the show, but her departure is set to happen later this year.