[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."

[bbfan1991]

Jessie Wallace said, "I wish someone told me I was quitting as I have just learnt all my lines! I don’t know where these stories come from but it’s just not true both myself and Shane are really happy at EastEnders" .

Regarding speculation in the newspapers that there was unrest at EastEnders a spokesperson added "There is no truth whatsoever in claims that there is unrest at EastEnders. Although as we've said some changes are being made to the current storyline. This means cast and crew working to tighter deadlines but this is not out of the ordinary on a big production like EastEnders. The show does go on and everyone will be working together to bring this storyline to its rightful conclusion".

LOL at Jessie's response, humorous.

[james130]

I think it's stupid that so many people have jumped on the bandwagon and complained.
There have been much worse things on TV. It's just pompous d1cks complaining and it really anoys me. :@