[bbfan1991]

EastEnders star Shane Richie has assured fans that he has no intention of quitting the soap despite the controversy surrounding his current storyline.

Newspaper reports have today suggested that Richie and a number of other cast members are considering their futures with the BBC show due to the backlash the programme has suffered over its baby swap plot.

Richie's character Alfie Moon is currently grieving for the loss of his newborn son Tommy on screen. However, he and wife Kat (Jessie Wallace) are unaware that the child is alive and well - as Ronnie Branning (Samantha Womack) secretly switched the baby with her tragic son James after losing him to cot death.

In a statement released to This Morning's soaps correspondent Sharon Marshall this afternoon, Richie dismissed speculation that he is planning to leave Walford.

He said: "It's absolutely not true. I have no plan to quit EastEnders. In fact, as I have been saying, I've never been happier there.

"I'm reading reports that we are all about to walk out, which is nonsense. I know some people have found this story challenging, which I can understand, but EastEnders have listened to that and taken some of the feedback on board.

"I just want to carry on giving the best performances we can to do the story justice."