Gillian Taylforth says EastEnders made her who she is today

EastEnders star Gillian Taylforth has said the soap is always in her heart because it made her who she is today.

Taylforth, 69, is best known for playing cafe owner Kathy in the BBC soap and first appeared in its debut episode in February 1985.

The character was killed off in 2006 only to make a shock return – after faking her own death – for the 30th anniversary live episodes in 2015.

Fronting the August edition of Prima, the actress told the magazine: “EastEnders has always been my favourite place to work.

“I loved The Bill, Footballers’ Wives and Hollyoaks. I got to do plays and a musical and other things that were lovely. But EastEnders has always been in my heart, because that’s where I feel I became who I am.

“This wonderful character, Kathy, was always a big part of me. So when I was invited back for the 30th anniversary I was overjoyed to have Kathy back in my life.”

The character was most recently revealed as the assailant who attacked her former daughter-in-law Cindy Beale, played by Michelle Collins, on Christmas Day.

The festive episode ended with Cindy being struck with a shovel as she was walking through Walford after her affair with Junior Knight (Micah Balfour) had been revealed at a party in the Queen Vic.

Cindy had been hoping to return to France with her former husband and her son Ian, played by Adam Woodyatt, before the affair was exposed.

Before the 40th anniversary episode, Cindy went to Ian’s home with a gun believing him to be the assailant, but he insisted it was not him and turned the blame on his son Peter (Thomas Law).

Kathy then arrived at the house and told her to leave Ian alone, before confessing to the attack.

Speaking about the cast and crew, Taylforth added: “I have amazing relationships with everyone at EastEnders, but there’s something special with Adam (Woodyatt). He’s played my son for 40 years, and he never calls me by my name, it’s always ‘Mum’, even when we’re not on set, and he’s ‘Son’ to me.

“We’ve got a close bond – he can see if I’ve forgotten my lines, and he’ll say them to remind me. The moment we reunited when Kathy came back, there were tears everywhere – it was a magical moment.”

Taylforth also spoke about her self-care routine, saying it makes her “feel good” about herself.

She said: “It’s very nice if people say lovely comments about how I look, but I don’t do it for anyone other than myself. Self-care helps me feel good about myself.

“I am getting older, and I do notice changes, but for me, I just want to maintain my appearance for as long as can. And if it all falls flat very soon, there’s not much I could do about it.”

The full interview is in the August issue of Prima which is now on sale.