{"id":68076,"date":"2023-11-07T10:23:43","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T10:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/talkcelnews.com\/?p=68076"},"modified":"2023-11-07T10:23:43","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T10:23:43","slug":"bbc-eastenders-brian-conley-pays-emotional-tribute-to-best-co-star-ahead-of-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talkcelnews.com\/tv-movies\/bbc-eastenders-brian-conley-pays-emotional-tribute-to-best-co-star-ahead-of-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC EastEnders Brian Conley pays emotional tribute to best co-star ahead of exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Brian Conley prepares to leave his part as Rocky Cotton in EastEnders later this year, he confesses he\u2019s devastated to be leaving his on-screen wife Gillian Taylforth (who plays Kathy Cotton) behind.<\/p>\n

The pair have played on-screen partners for the past two years and their characters tied the knot in July.<\/p>\n

More recently, the future of Rocky and Kathy\u2019s marriage has been put in jeopardy thanks to Rocky\u2019s gambling addiction. To get out of his predicament, Rocky set fire to the local caf\u00e9 hoping to claim on the insurance.<\/p>\n

However the plan backfired and Kathy finds herself arrested for the crime. So Brian isn\u2019t holding out much hope that Rocky and Kathy\u2019s relationship will last.<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d dump him, I mean, how much can Kathy put up with?\u201d he wonders. \u201cThe poor woman has really gone through it with him. But love has kept them together, Rocky genuinely absolutely loves her, which is wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian revealed he was leaving the show with a post on social media in which he said: \u2018'It was a tough decision but it is true that I am going, I made it for many reasons.<\/p>\n

"It was tough as they are such a wonderful crowd in front and behind the cameras and I have loved my three years there.\u2019<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With Christmas fast approaching, fans have been quick to speculate whether Rocky will be the dead body that Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kathy, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) – dubbed The Six find.<\/p>\n

In real life, Brian has other, more cheerful festive plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be in panto, in Milton Keynes,\u201d he says. \u201cWhich doesn\u2019t start until 8 December and then after that, I\u2019ll see what happens \u2013 I\u2019ve never planned anything. EastEnders came in lockdown, how lucky was I? Everyone was sitting at home and I was busy filming."<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I came in with an advantage over everyone that was already there, which didn\u2019t dawn on me until later, because they were all going, \u2018This isn\u2019t how we normally do it.\u2019 But it was for me! I didn\u2019t know any different.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, Brian is as excited as the rest of us to watch the festive revelations unfold.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat people are going to experience this Christmas is something they won\u2019t ever have seen before,\u201d he teases. \u201cIt\u2019s really, really exciting with twists and turns. It\u2019s going to blow us all away.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n