EastEnders star Patsy Palmer is returning to our screens as Bianca Jackson – the role she’s played on and off for more than 30 years!
On screen, Bianca has been living with her partner Terry Spraggan and his family – son TJ, daughter Rosie, and granddaughter Beth – as well as B’s son, Morgan – since she left Albert Square.
But Bianca has recently split from Terry so Whitney Dean, her stepdaughter – has gone to Milton Keynes to visit.
Off-screen though, Patsy’s life is about as far away from that of her EastEnders alter ego than you can possibly imagine!
She lives in Malibu in Los Angeles in the USA, with her husband and three of her four kids.
So what’s Patsy Palmer’s story?
Patsy Palmer’s early years
Just like Bianca, Patsy – whose real name is Julie – is a proper EastEnder. She grew up in Bethnal Green in East London and went to the famous Anna Scher theatre school. She landed the role of Natasha in Grange Hill as a teen, and then won the part that would make her a household name – as Bianca Jackson in EastEnders – in 1993.
Hard times
During the 90s, Patsy was struggling with alcohol and drug abuse. She has talked about her battle with addiction quite candidly and admitted she often turned up to work on EastEnders hungover.
She went to rehab in 2004, and has been sober ever since.
Family life
Patsy has been married twice. Her first marriage to Nick Love in 1998 only lasted five months. But in 2000 she tied the knot with fellow Londoner Richard Merkell and they’ve been happy together ever since.
She has four children. She shares oldest son Charley Palmer Rothwell with former partner Alfie Rothwell. Charley is an actor too and has appeared in films including Dunkirk and Legend, and on television in shows such as Big Boys and The Tower.
Patsy’s brother, Harry Harris, is married to Lindsey Coulson, who played Patsy’s on-screen mum, Carol Jackson.
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Patsy Palmer and her glamorous LA life
Patsy Palmer’s other kids – who she shares with husband Richard – are Fenton, Emilia and Bertie.
Fenton and Emilia are both successful models. Fenton hit the headlines when he was dating Cindy Crawford’s daughter, Gaia Gerber – who just happens to be a good friend of his sister.
And Patsy has said that Bertie seems to be interested in a career in showbiz, too!
Meanwhile Patsy has made a name for herself as a DJ, and she’s also founded the Commonwealth Lifestyle Foundation which aims to bring women together to make connections while raising money for charity.
Coming home
Despite being settled in LA, Patsy often returns to the UK for work – sometimes to appear in a guest stint on EastEnders. She’s also competed in Dancing on Ice in 2023, where she was partnered with Matt Evers.
Patsy took part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off SU2C, and performed as Butterfly on The Masked Singer!
Read more: Who is leaving EastEnders this year?
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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