Lacey Turner explains why she left EastEnders after Martin's death

Lacey Turner says she quit EastEnders because the producers refused to change their mind about killing off her character Martin. The actress, who played Stacey Slater, revealed in her new autobiography Gold Dust that she was unhappy with the decision to remove James Bye from the show. The book came out last week and gives a detailed account of her time on the BBC soap opera.

Turner described the move to kill Martin as a choice she found hard to understand. She wrote that she is still not over the decision and kept asking why it happened. She felt there must have been another way to write the character out of the story. She brought several ideas to the show bosses to save Martin, but they had already made up their minds.

The character Martin died in an explosion at The Queen Vic pub. A roof beam fell on him and trapped him. He and Stacey confessed their love and he proposed before paramedics removed the beam. Martin died from crush syndrome in Stacey's arms. Turner said she could not figure out how Stacey would survive in Walford without Martin. She also did not know how she would survive on the show without James Bye.

The decision to leave the show came together with other life changes. Turner was about to have a baby. Natalie Cassidy, who played Stacey's sister, was also leaving the series. Turner told the producers she wanted to step away to spend time with her family. She wanted to take a break from the fast pace of filming.

Her real life pregnancy caused some tension with the production team. Her due date was close to a planned live episode that would show Martin's death. Turner promised she would attend the recording even if she was in her maternity dressing gown. She kept her promise and returned to work four weeks after giving birth. She stayed on to film scenes showing Stacey's mental health decline.

Turner's final scenes aired in October 2025. She said she misses the character Stacey but felt both the character and she needed a rest. She noted that Stacey had run out of major storylines to go through. She hoped it is not the end for the character. She also shared other behind the scenes stories from her time on the set.

In one anecdote, Turner described a moment she felt a tap on her bottom by a back door. She thought a runner had hit her but no one was there. She was convinced it was the spirit of Wendy, a character played by a colleague who had passed away. Wendy used to encourage Turner to take cigarette breaks. Turner felt the nudge was a sign to go outside.

Turner also recalled a time she and Louisa Lytton were sent to the production manager's office for wasting time. The two actors had been laughing so hard on set that they could not stop. They got a serious talking to for their behavior. Behind the production manager was a photo of Turner and Lytton dressed as Peggy and Pat from a magazine shoot. Turner said they were crying with laughter as soon as they left the room.