EastEnders fans left “sobbing” as Maisie Smith leaves Albert Square in emotional final scenes

EASTENDERS fans have been left in tears as Maisie Smith's character Tiffany Butcher walked away from Albert Square for the final time.

It was revealed in October that actress Maisie, 20, would be leaving the BBC show after 13 years on our TV screens as iconic character Tiff.

Her latest storyline has seen her split from husband Keegan and begin a new relationship with far right thug Aaron while preparing for divorce.

Now, Tiffany has walked away from Albert Square for good, heading to the airport with her brother Liam in preparation for a move to Germany.

Maisie's character Tiffany had spent the night with Keegan after they were briefly reunited, as they both wrestled with their feelings for each other.

Nonetheless, she was adamant that it would be best to wave goodbye to her life in the UK, telling pal Whitney Dean, played by Shona McGarty, she was leaving.

Her final scenes saw her standing outside Walford's tube station in floods of tears as she waited for her husband to come and chase after her, but to no avail.

She had written an emotional love letter to her childhood sweetheart begging him to run to her should he truly want her to stay behind with him.

Little did she know that brother Liam had thrown away the letter, and instead placed the signed divorce papers and Keegan's necklace inside the envelope.

As Keegan sobbed back on the Square, Tiffany was seen descending into the train station as a Christmas choir sang carols in the background.

Fans were overcome with emotion at the final scenes - and took to social media to admit they had been left "sobbing" at Maisie's departure.

"Not me catching up on EastEnders over a takeaway sobbing at Tiff leaving," one fan wrote, as a second agreed: "I'm actually sobbing at EastEnders."

"I'm sobbing and shaking and crying," a third chimed in, as a fourth concurred: "Just had a proper cry as Tiffany departed."

"I haven't watched EastEnders in over ten years, so I decided to watch it today and now I can't stop crying," a fifth person concluded.

It comes after Maisie teased what comes next and how her alter ego will leave Albert Square during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.

She said: "I think it’s going to be quite a shock, I haven’t even told my family how it happens so it should be a good shock."

Susanna Reid then tried to gauge if Tiffany would be leaving in the back of a black cab or in a more drastic fashion, i.e. killed off.

Maisie replied: "Listen, you never really leave EastEnders, they always manage to find a way to come back. They always bring people back from the dead."

She added with a laugh: "Even if I did, they’d bring me back at some point."