Carol Harrison, 62, left her role as Louise Raymond in EastEnders in 1999, but she is now suggesting that age was a central factor in her exit. Claiming it was not her decision to leave the BBC soap, the actress spoke out on the issue during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning. She said: “The attitude was you’re in your 40s, you’re mutton. “I think that’s why EastEnders got rid of me – I was considered past it.”
The star, who played the mother of Martine McCutcheon’s character, Tiffany Mitchell, also said that her storylines on the show were negatively impacted when she turned 40.
She added: “The driving force was ageism and classism.
“There were jibes in the script about why would anyone want to go with Louise when she was so old.”
Carol then discussed the stigma surrounding a particular plot line on the series which saw Louise having an affair with a younger man.
The actress’ character embarked on an illicit romance with Grant Mitchell, played by Ross Kemp, who was her daughter Tiffany’s husband.
The former soap favourite explained: “The fact was, I was in my 40s and the role was so powerful,
“She had this affair with a younger man… it’s that stigma about an older woman, that you are kind of a cougar.
“I suddenly went from desirable to desperate.”
Unfortunately, Carol found that roles for women of her age were becoming increasingly limited after she was ‘axed’ from EastEnders.
The actress admitted: “When I came out (of the show), I couldn’t understand it at first. It was very confusing. It was like ‘Where are the parts?’
“There weren’t that many parts for a woman like me at that age. Suddenly they dried up.”
Although Carol believes that age was the main influence behind her dismissal from EastEnders, she also assumes a change in the show’s executive producer may have played a part in her exit.
She first discovered that her character would be leaving the show after reading a story in the newspaper.
Carol said: ”The new executive producer came on board and I guess when someone else comes in, they want to make their changes.
“A lot of people found out in the newspaper. I thought ‘How terrible’, and then, the next week, there I was.”
Carol had a successful stint on EastEnders, helping the soap to secure its first BAFTA due to Louise and Grant’s affair storyline.
She was a regular on the series from 1998 to 1999.
The BBC declined to comment when approached by Express.co.uk.