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The REAL reason EastEnders Ronnie and Roxy were killed off

EastEnders boss Sean O'Connor has revealed the truth

When a new boss takes over a soap they usually like to make their mark, and that’s exactly what Sean O’Connor did at EastEnders when he axed Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell.

The sisters were killed off in a dramatic New Year’s Day episode, and now Sean has revealed why he decided to make sure there was no turning back for the Mitchell bombshells.

Ronnie and Roxy drowned in a swimming pool following Ron’s wedding to Jack Branning.

Read more: A second wedding on the cards for Emmerdale’s Robron?

Roxy had a heart attack after jumping into the water and when Ronnie dived in to save her, she was weighed down by her lacey wedding dress and died.

Speaking at the Royal Television Society Awards Sean explained the decision to make sure their exit wasn’t boring.

“[Ronnie and Roxy] were not the sort of characters that would leave in the back of a taxi.

“We wanted to give them an operatic ending.”

It was certainly that, with many fans impressed by the beautiful way it was shot.

But others weren’t happy with the outcome, and viewers are still calling for Roxy’s return from the dead to this day.

With some fans getting a bit disillusioned with the show’s recent storylines, Sean also spoke about how the current state of affairs in the country are the influence behind it.

“I’m interested in the idea of community in a world that is quite fractured at the moment,” he explained.

“Whether that be [by] Brexit or Trump… I think the idea of community is being questioned, maybe even threatened, and all soaps are about community.

“[EastEnders] is not realistic, it’s always been a fantasy, a fiction of what community is, but in that fantasy or fiction there is a deeper truth, and it’s to do with the robustness of the format.”

Read more: EastEnders viewers SLAM latest episode

The latest double bill drew a bad reaction from fans who were outraged at Michelle Fowler and Preston Cooper’s ‘fumble’ in Sharon and Phil’s living room, and at Jay’s lack of care when chatting up underage girls again.

Will future storylines, including a “massive” week next week as Michelle and Preston’s affair is exposed, bring the viewers back on the show’s side?


Carena Crawford
Associate Editor (Soaps)