[Smithy]

EastEnders actress Tiana Benjamin is to bow out of the BBC soap later this year, Digital Spy can confirm.

The 25-year-old - who has played beautician Chelsea Fox since May 2006 - recently decided to leave her Albert Square counterpart behind and pursue other projects.

Speaking of her decision, she said: "I have had an amazing time at EastEnders and this has been a very difficult decision for me to make but now seems like the right time to move on and leave Chelsea behind even through she's been such a fantastic character to play."

Details of Chelsea's exit story have yet to be finalised but Benjamin is expected to film her final scenes within the next few months.

Later this month, Preeya Kalidas makes her screen departure when her character Amira Syed discovers her husband Syed's homosexual infidelity with Christian Clarke (John Partridge).

Meanwhile, acting legend Barbara Windsor is due to bid farewell as Peggy Mitchell this summer after 15 years in the role.