Lacey departed the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap back in October last year
20:20, 15 Jan 2026
EastEnders fans are convinced that Lacey Turner is set to return to the BBC soap after she reunited with one of her co-stars.
Lacey became one of the BBC soap’s biggest stars after her Albert Square debut as Stacey Slater back in 2004. Winning four National Television Awards and six British Soap Awards for her performance, Lacey has appeared in nearly 2,000 episodes over the years.
Fans were left stunned in May last year when Lacey confirmed that she would be taking an undetermined amount of time off from her soap duties. Lacey’s confirmation arrived following a tough period for Stacey. Stacey was left devastated following the death of her former husband Martin Fowler at the end of the soap’s 40th anniversary week in February. Stacey decided to buy the Queen Vic with Kat Slater in an attempt to move on.
Sadly, that didn’t give Stacey the escape she was hoping for, eventually deciding to move to Brazil to live with her brother Sean Slater. Stacey’s decision ultimately came down to her wanting to avoid the constant reminders of Martin. Stacey’s decision was made easier following the return of Max Branning, who she infamously had an affair with while she was married to his son Bradley Branning. Upon seeing Max, Stacey soon learned he was romantically involved with her cousin Zoe Slater.
The exit storyline ended with Stacey leaving Albert Square in a taxi with her youngest kids Hope and Arthur, leaving behind her mum Jean, eldest child Lily and her granddaughter Charli.
Some fans are adamant that it’s not a permanent exit, with Lacey not receiving Julia’s Theme, the outro music reserved when an actor is gone for good.
Taking to Instagram this week was Sean Slater actor Robert Kazinsky, who revealed that he was spending time with Lacey. Robert initially played bad boy Sean between 2006 and 2008, when he was romantically involved with Roxy Mitchell. Sean was last seen on EastEnders back in 2022 when he was asked by their mum Jean Slater to investigate Stacey’s relationship with her wife Eve Unwin, who she met in prison.
Captioning the post, Robert wrote: “Love from Brazil (seriously who’s idea was that?) Like time never passes with the best of the best. @laceyturner.”
The comments section of the post, where Lacey left a love heart emoji, saw EastEnders fans expressing their excitement about the Slater siblings potentially coming back to the streets of Walford.
@jgharrison89 said: “Can we please bring Stacey & Sean back together.” @marcas_mac added: “Are we gonna find out Roxy and Ronnie faked their own death and are in hiding with him?”
@lisawellschurchill wrote: “Think you need to FaceTime Jean , she’s having a difficult time.” @am5419jh stated: “Oscar looks more like Sean than max maybe a new story coming?!!!
@megsrus95 commented: “So Sean slater and max branning both back?! I can’t wait!!!!” @pollyminx posted: “Lovely! I hope we see you both back again in the (not too distant) future even if it’s just for an episode or too.”