EastEnders fans watched Sam Mitchell (AKA actress Kim Medcalf) say goodbye to Albert Square in today’s episode, having left a bundle of cash for son Ricky.
Sam burned her bridges when she fell out with her big brother, Phil.
Earlier this week, she found out the three Mitchell siblings – Sam, Grant and Phil – had been left £100,000 by their Aunt Sal. Sam was fuming that Phil hadn’t mentioned it and wasn’t intending to hand over her share.
Determined to get her mitts on the money, Sam wouldn’t give it a rest. And when Alfie let slip that Phil had slept with Lola’s mum, Emma, Sam saw her chance.
She told Phil she would tell Kat everything unless he handed over the cash.
After a stand-off, Phil agreed to give Sam her share – on condition she left Walford.
But as the local residents gathered in The Vic to celebrate Phil and Kat’s birthdays, Sam took to the mic and spilled all the beans.
Kat was devastated and furious. Phil was stewing. Everyone in the pub thought Sam was pretty awful for humiliating Kat in that way, and things looked bleak for Sam.
With nowhere left to turn, she packed a bag, said goodbye to Zack, and left.
And now Kim Medcalf, who plays the Mitchell mum, has confirmed she’s left EastEnders.
For now, at least!
Sam causing chaos
“It was perfect timing for me and worked really well that Sam was coming back for another short stint,” Kim told us. “That’s the beauty of this character – I love that she comes in, disrupts things, and then leaves the debris behind her.”
Though it seems Phil and Sam’s relationship has totally broken down, Kim’s not convinced that’s it for the siblings.
“I think it’s feasible that there could come a point in the future where Phil admits that Sam might have been wrong in how she did it, but the situation was all caused by his error,” Kim pointed out.
“Sam didn’t make up the fact he slept with Emma – she just exposed him and his deceit. So, if I’m being positive, I believe there is potential for them to repair things.”
Family ties
Kim reminded the fans that things have been much worse in her on-screen family!
“The Mitchells are a family who go through a lot and are used to this drama between them,” she said. “Right now, it feels very broken, and Sam realises it’s best to cut her losses and try to start again somewhere else. But if you think about what Grant and Phil have done to each other, this is nothing!”
Of course it’s not just Phil that Sam’s said goodbye too – it’s son Ricky, too.
“Her decision isn’t about not loving Ricky enough because she genuinely adores her son,” Kim told us. “It’s just that Sam realises she’s not welcome in the Square thanks to Phil, and she doesn’t have a purpose. Everywhere she turns, Sam feels like she’s getting it wrong and it’s not the right fit for her.”
She’ll be back!
But even though Sam’s waved goodbye to Walford for now, Kim said this might not be the last we’ve seen of her.
“Hopefully, she’ll be back again sometime for another stint of causing chaos,” she teased.
Read more: Who is leaving EastEnders this year?
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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