Danielle Harold 'felt bad' about EastEnders comeback after original departure
Danielle Harold says returning as Lola Pearce-Brown after her emotional exit made her original goodbyes feel less meaningful.
Danielle Harold "felt bad" for briefly returning to EastEnders after her emotional exit.
The 33-year-old actress' alter ego, Lola Pearce-Brown, lost her battle with an incurable brain tumour in May 2023, but in the years since, the character came back to the BBC soap in the form of pre-recorded videos and messages to her family.
And Danielle - who made her EastEnders debut in July 2011 - thinks the character's return made her original goodbyes to the cast feel less meaningful.
She told the Daily Star: "I felt bad because I actually came back after I left originally and I done video logs as well. We had this huge goodbye, and then I was back five minutes later."
In December 2025, Pam St. Clement, 83, and Nicola Duffett, 63, reprised their dead alter egos, Pat Butcher and Debbie Bates, respectively, for a dream sequence as Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) battles dementia.
And Danielle cannot imagine doing a similar thing for Lola.
She said: "If anyone was gone for good, it's probably Lola, she had a tough 'ole journey. So, probably not no."
Since Danielle left EastEnders, she has done many reality TV shows, including ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Channel 4's Celebrity Hunted, as well as focused on herself.
She said: "I've been finding my feet a little bit, I took a little bit of me-time. So, it's been nice. I really needed that.
"I think when you've done a job for such a long time, sometimes in this industry, it's so crazy, that you need a moment to breathe."
Danielle is still showing an interest in acting jobs, but she does not want to play a similar character to that of the feisty and fiercely loyal Lola.
The actress said: "I'm back auditioning now. It's always this time of year where things start to liven, so yeah, it's exciting.
"I'd love my next role to be in the sun, I'd love to film abroad and play a character that travels.
"After playing the same character for such a long time, it's so nice to play someone completely different. So, I would love to play someone completely the opposite."
