EastEnders fans go wild as soap icon who left Walford 13 years ago is spotted shopping in Oxford

EASTENDERS fans went wild after spotting soap legend Pam St Clement in an Oxford car park.

Pam played the iconic character in the BBC soap from 1986 until New Year's Day 2012 when her character Pat Butcher died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The star reprised her role for a cameo appearance in 2016 as part of Peggy Mitchell's exit storyline, where she returned as a ghost.

The actress, 82, was spotted loading up her car boot after a shopping trip.

A TikTok user filmed the moment from their car, which was parked opposite Pam's.

They shared it with their followers and captioned it: "Queen Pat."

One fan responded: "Oxford right? Pretty sure that’s her then."

A second posted: "Tell me you wound down the window and said Oi Pat."

A third commented: "That defo is her lol," while another added: "Those earrings gave it away."

Following her heartbreaking exit, Pam appeared in three episodes of Casualty in 2016 but has mostly been enjoying a life away from the spotlight.

Last February, she posed for a picture behind the bar of a pub in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

Pam beamed as she held one of the beer pumps alongside a member of staff.

The actress wore a cream warm coat and black top and accessorised with a pair of earrings - but sadly not ones as big as what Pat was known for.

The picture was posted on the pub's Facebook page and immediately prompted comments from soap fans.

One wrote: "What a legend."

Another added: "Lovely lady", while a third commented: "She's looking fab."

Others picked up on how Pam doesn't look any different to when she was on the soap, with one writing: "She looks fabulous! Hasn't aged since being in EastEnders."

Another agreed, saying: "She looks exactly the same."

Pat died in the arms of her son David Wicks, while stepchildren Janine and Ricky Butcher watched on along with Ricky's partner Bianca.

Speaking about her character's exit at the time, Pam said: "Simon Ashdown had this idea for the character, which fitted in with her history in a sense.

"They said, 'This is how we'd like it to happen - we think it's a fitting end and tribute to the character'. And as far as I can say, I read the script and I thought, 'Oh, this is fantastic - it's every actor's dream'.