Diane Parish’s friends were "furious" with her when it was revealed her ‘EastEnders’ character wasn’t dead – after she let them think she had passed away.
The 50-year-old actress was told by the soap’s bosses that her alter-ego Denise Fox would be kidnapped by her pastor ex Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet) in 2010, and he then told her family the loveable character had taken her own life and held a funeral for her.
But Diane was also told by the producers that Denise would in fact still be alive, but she opted against passing that information onto her family and friends, and booked a holiday to Mallorca for when her character’s big reveal episode aired.
Speaking on ‘EastEnders: Secrets from the Square’, she said: "When I was told the idea, you’re going to die but not going to be dead I thought it was brilliant but I can’t tell my mates, can’t tell my mum so I booked a holiday until the episode when I come out of the cellar.
"And I’m in Mallorca and when that episode aired all my friends were furious with me.
"I have no problem keeping something secret like that."
Denise currently has a more chilled life with police officer Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), but Diane revealed there are "some dark things from her past" set to come back to haunt her character when the soap returns to our screens later this year.
She said: "I don’t know a great deal, but I do know that some dark things from her past are going to resurface. There’s going to be some challenges there for Denise."
But in better news, Denise’s sister Kim Fox-Hubbard (Tameka Empson) is returning from Scotland, where she has been working as a tour guide.
Speaking in a joint interview with Diane on the spin-off show, Tameka added: "I know I’m coming back. She’s coming back. Watch this space. She’s coming back.
"How, nobody knows. But maybe she’ll come back wearing tartan because she’s been a Scottish tourist guide!"