EastEnders' Janine Butcher star admits she's unemployed two years after soap exit

Former EastEndersstar, Charlie Brooks, has revealed she's currently not working two and a half years after her epic soap exit.

Best-known for playing Janine Butcher on the long-running hit UK television show, Charlie recently took to Instagram to talk about life since leaving the BBC series.

Sharing a picture in which the actress can be seen grinning from ear-to-ear while donning a black ensemble with sunglasses to match, Charlie captioned her post: “Life is good. As someone who is generally validated by work…Turns out being at home, chilling with my dog, taking long walks, reforming, reading and actually getting to hang out with my friends doing everything and nothing makes me really f**king happy.”

In a separate post just two weeks ago, Charlie spoke about the “joys of unemployment” as she listed out all the things that are making her time off from work a blast, namely: “Three whole uninterrupted days with her [best friend], Rummikub, Fire, Ice bath, Massage.”

Since leaving EastEnders almost three years ago in December 2022, Charlie has been seen enjoying family time and attending gigs, and shared an insights into her post Walford life on her social media. With her latest post, Charlie has confirmed she’s still on a break and taking it easy.

Charlie's character Janine Butcher first set foot in Walford in 1999, staying until 2004, when her villainous character made her first departure from the show. She then ventured into other roles including Robin Hood and playing a murderous nurse in Beverley Allitt: Angel of Death. Charlie made a comeback to EastEnders in 2008 before departing once again in 2012. Her latest return to the smash hit soap was in 2021, followed by her subsequent exit in the latter half of 2022, where she was embroiled in the tragic loss of beloved landlord Mick Carter, who is still lost at sea.

Janine is currently serving a five year prison sentence after she was arrested for perverting the course of justice, specifically for framing Linda Carter for drink-driving. She gave birth to her son, named after his dad Mick Carter, in prison.

In January this year, the actress opened up about the possibility of returning to Walford. She revealed: “I'm going straight back into Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for a while, and then I probably need a little bit of time off," adding, "And then we're in talks about another theatre project at the moment, so I don't know yet."

She teased further: "I'm biding my time. So who knows."

READ MORE: EastEnders' Charlie Brooks shares 'joy of unemployment' after Janine Butcher exit

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Earlier this year, the 44-year-old appeared on the 17th season of Dancing on Ice, partnering with Olympic professional skater Eric Radford. Unfortunately, Charlie was eliminated from the competition in the fifth week. She also reprised her role as The Childcatcher in the new production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in March this year, as part of the show's UK tour.

Charlie is a proud parent to her 20-year-old daughter, Kiki Truman Brooks, whom she shares with former flame Tony Truman, an Ibiza club impresario. The couple parted ways in 2006, just two years after Kiki’s birth, yet they've remained amicable, evidenced by Tony residing just above Charlie's Surrey abode.

The Lie With Me actress’ love life recently made headlines as Charlie and her producer boyfriend James Fuller parted ways in February, mere weeks after confirming their relationship publicly.

Charlie also participated in and won the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special in 2011 and also took home the I’m A Celebrity title in 2012.