EastEnders icon Pam St Clement’s life after Pat Butcher and why she quit BBC soap

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EastEnders legend Pam St Clement has become a soap icon thanks to her portrayal of Walford matriarch Pat Butcher. Dressed in vibrant clothes and huge earrings, Pat first appeared in Albert Square in 1986 and quickly became a fan favourite.

For 25 years Pam was a key part of the soap, involved in many dramatic storylines. However, in 2012, her character left the show for good as she was shockingly killed off.

Fans will remember how she was written out on New Year's Day after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pat made a surprise return in 2016, during Peggy Mitchell's (Barbara Windsor) final episode as the two on-screen best pals said goodbye to one-another.

But Pam didn't want her character Pat to be killed off. "It was very, very difficult. I was saying goodbye to a character I'd inhabited for almost 26 years and, while I had chosen to leave EastEnders, I didn't want Pat to die", Pam told The Mirror in 2015. "I was adamant there should be a chance for her to return and had been assured by the executive producer she wouldn't be axed. "When I felt the time had come to hang up the earrings I took Bryan Kirkwood, the then executive producer, out for dinner and broached the subject of leaving." She added: "One crucial thing I asked for was that Pat shouldn't be killed off.