Bernie in EastEnders in April 2022 / BBC
Clair Norris is to leave her role as Bernie Taylor in EastEnders after eight years, the BBC has confirmed.
The character arrived in Walford in 2017 as part of the rough Taylor/Baker clan – of which she is the last remaining member still on the Square.
Sister Chantelle (Jessica Plummer) was murdered in 2020, then brother Keegan (Zack Morris) left in 2022, followed by her younger twin brothers in 2023, before older brother Keanu (Danny Walters) was murdered later that year.
Also leaving in 2023 were Bernie’s mother Karen (Lorraine Stanley) and stepdad Mitch (Roger Griffiths), making Bernie the last Taylor standing – but now she is on the way out of E20 too.
“Every time a soap gets a new boss they want to make their own changes – it’s nothing personal,” a source told The Sun.
“The writing has been on the wall for Bernie for some time so it wasn’t really a surprise to Clair. She was the last Taylor standing and it’s time to close the chapter on them and let Clair go on to do other things.”
Another insider said: “Everyone at EastEnders loves Clair but often characters have to leave for new stories to begin, that’s the nature of soap. Clair will be missed but she will always be part of the EastEnders family.”
An EastEnders spokeswoman commented: “We can confirm that Clair will be leaving EastEnders later this year and we wish her all the best for the future.”
It is currently unknown whether Bernie’s departure will tie in with that of her cousin Felix (Matthew Morrison), who is slated to leave this summer.
