EastEnders star Charlie Brooks has revealed why she is taking a six-month break from the soap - so she can have some "breathing space".
The 30-year-old actress, who has announced that she will say goodbye to Albert Square in August, previously left the BBC soap in 2004, only to return in 2008 to reprise her role as villainess Janine Butcher.
"I've got six months off in August, just to have a bit of breathing space," she said on This Morning.
Charlie is planning to make the most of her time off to be with her seven-year-old daughter Kiki on a road trip around Europe.
"It'll be me and Kiki, camper van, Europe - I can't wait. So we're going to do a big old road trip. Sometimes you just need a little bit of a break," she added
Her alter-ego Janine is currently expecting a baby with partner Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd), who will propose to her.
The actress is keeping tight-lipped about the couple's future, saying: "I can't give anything away, and I've just been given a bit of information that I can't tell.
"I think I'd get sacked! Let's just say there's lots of fun and games to come," she teased.