EastEnders spoilers: Kathy Beale to get new love interest when soap returns

EASTENDERS' Kathy Beale is finally getting a new love interest.

The cafe owner - who is played by actress Gillian Taylforth in the BBC soap - hasn't had a love interest since a brief dalliance with Masood Ahmed two years ago.

But now soap bosses have finally decided to give the Albert Square favourite a new boy toy.

Speaking on EastEnders: Secrets from the Sqaure, Gillian revealed: "I think it's about time.

"She's older now and she's been looking after everyone else. It's about time that she was looked after and she had a bit of love in her life."

And she revealed that Kathy's already started looking and has been enjoying lockdown doing some virtual dating.

She added that she hopes Kathy will find the "man of her dreams" – or at least a "nice bloke".

Gillian also revealed how she was overjoyed after Kathy was brought back from the dead after being killed off off-screen.

She said: "When they said that they were going to kill her off I was like, 'Oh! Do you have you? You're not going to see a coffin or anything, are you? Because I don't like the idea of that.'

"She went, 'No, no, no. You're off in South Africa.' And I was like, 'Oh, right ok.'

"When you're playing someone for so long you just think she's part of your life and I think, 'Oh, I don't want her to leave me!'

"And then I got the phone call about the 30th anniversary and I thought, 'Oh, I know what it's going to be, it's going to be me jumping out of a cake for Adam' or something.

"Then [the producer] said, 'As you know, Phil's been going off to meet someone' and I went, 'Oh right' and he went, 'It's you.' I was like, 'What?!'"

She added: "I was crying - it was wonderful!"