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EastEnders fans have called out a ‘rushed’ Stacey Slater storyline ahead of Lacey Turner’s exit from the BBC soap.

It was confirmed during the summer that Lacey is taking a break from the iconic role she’s played since back in 2004.

Known for never mincing her words and the tragic deaths of her husbands, Stacey is one of the most popular characters in the modern era of EastEnders.

Winning six British Soap Awards and four National Television Awards for her performance, Lacey has starred in nearly 2,000 episodes of the programme.

While fans have known for months that they’d be saying goodbye to Stacey, her exit storyline has only begun to take shape in the last week.

Stacey has her tickets booked to move to Brazil after her brother Sean Slater, who runs a restaurant there, asked her to step away from the chaos of Walford.

In scenes aired on Monday (September 29), Stacey attempted to convince her daughter Lily to move with her, but she’s adamant she and baby Charli are staying.

Jean and Zoe Slater both tried to dissuade Stacey on separate occasions, but her former partner Eve Panesar-Unwin was fully supportive of the idea.

Stacey later headed to The Albert for her leaving drinks where she revealed that she has decided to stay in Walford.

In spite of her mum clearly putting on a brave face, Lily is concerned Stacey has made the wrong choice as she continues to struggle in the wake of Martin Fowler’s death.

With Stacey likely to have another change of heart in the coming days, fans took to X, previously known as Twitter, to share their frustrations with the story.

@babesmithh said: “Why are they rushing Stacey’s exit may I ask? They’ve had months #EastEnders.” @mcclunkeys added: “I don’t know why they had to make it Brazil. Why not Kidderminster, it was good enough for Sonia after all.”

@mattFarris wrote: “Wadey’s had months to prepare for Stacey’s exit and we get this mad dash to a waitressing job on another continent. Cliché and contrived, and nothing to do with Stacey’s history or character. #EastEnders.” @shxda_ stated: “We’re really meant to believe Stacey is gonna up and go to Brazil to work in a restaurant looooool #Eastenders.”

@Cafi2k commented: “The BBC needs to set up a helpline for Stacey Slater leaving the square. I don’t know how I’m going to cope without her, she’s the mother of a generation. Lacey Turner needs to be made a dame. #Eastenders.” @Uncle_Eboue posted: “Wait why the hell is Stacey going to Brazil?”

With Max Branning returning to Albert Square this week, it remains to be seen if the sight of her former lover plays a part in what Stacey decides to do