EastEnders icon Kathy Beale, portrayed by Gillian Taylforth, has been a staple of Albert Square since the soap's first episode in February 1985.
In her early days on the show, Kathy was married to Pete Beale, played by Peter Dean, the twin brother of Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), mother of the late Martin Fowler (James Bye).
After a failed marriage with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Kathy left the Square in 1998 and relocated to South Africa with their son Ben and her new husband Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas).
She returned briefly for two separate stints in 1999 before leaving again on 6 January 2000. However, years later, her distraught son Ian (Adam Woodyatt) was told she had died in a car crash, which turned out to be false.
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