Heather star Cheryl Fergison reveals why EastEnders axed her – and how she found out

Calli Kitson

Published February 25, 2025 11:00am Updated February 25, 2025 11:00am

Cheryl Fergison on the This Morning sofa — Cheryl Fergison left the soap in 2012 (Picture: ITV)

Former EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison has revealed why her character was killed off.

The actress played Heather Trott from 2007-2012. She was the best friend of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), but was brutally murdered in 2012 when Ben Mitchell attacked her with a photo frame.

Since her final scenes, Cheryl has featured in shows such as CBBC’s Dodger, and the film White Island.

The star remains best known for her role in the BBC One soap and because of that, she’s often asked about what it was like to work in Albert Square, as well as her harrowing final storyline.

Just recently, she opened up about her reaction to being told Heather would be murdered.

Sorry, this video isn't available any more.

‘I had a feeling it might be coming. We’d always joke that either you’re going up to talk [to producers] about your storyline, or you’re part of the culling’, she explained to Daily Star.

‘But that particular week, as Friday approached, I hadn’t had a meeting, and neither had Linda [who played Shirley Carter].’

As a result, it left Cheryl wondering if a big plot for Heather would be on the way.

The star added: ‘At the time, Brian Kirkwood was the producer, and when I walked in, he looked visibly upset. I had an inkling of what was coming. He asked me to sit down, and I knew straight away it wasn’t going to be anything exciting.’

Heather Trott in EastEnders. — Heather was killed by Ben Mitchell (Picture: BBC)

Cheryl said that the show wanted to look at how Shirley deals with grief, which meant Heather was going to be killed off.

‘He [Brian] explained that the higher-ups – the Powers That Be – had decided they wanted to explore Shirley dealing with grief, which meant Heather was going to die.’

Appearing on This Morning last year, Cheryl opened up about her money struggles and how she was able to get help from a food bank, as well as from EastEnders legend Dame Barbara Windsor, who died in 2020 aged 83.

‘It was kind of like [the money] was frittered away [on holidays]. You think you’re going to be [in EastEnders] forever, but you’re not.

Cheryl Fergison on Loose Women — Cheryl often opens up about the challenges she’s faced since leaving the soap (Picture: ITV)

‘If the jobs don’t come in as quick as they were…it started to spiral. The perception is that you’re lowering yourself by doing something like [singing in a restaurant].

‘Heather was such a great character that she’s not easy to forget and my life paralleled her in some ways, going to a food bank is something Heather would have done. It shouldn’t be happening but it is.