EastEnders legend lapping up 'unemployment' after dramatic soap exit

Charlie Brooks has been making the most of unemployment, with the former EastEnders star and I'm A Celebrity winner using her newfound spare time to read and go to gigs with her pals
EastEnders star Charlie Brooks has been making the most of her "unemployment", having spent Friday night at a gig in London. The former Janine Butcher actress saw Martha Wainwright on the UK leg of her tour, when she played at Union Chapel in Islington.
Charlie, 44, left the soap in 2012 but went on to set up her own acting training business, iampro, which offers mentoring and industry classes for creatives. She also took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2011 and was crowned queen of the jungle after winning I'm A Celebrity in 2012.
But aside from some smaller roles, she's remained off the screen for some time, but she is lapping up her so-called "unemployment". Writing on Instagram, she said: "Joys of unemployment. Getting to watch Martha Wainwright at Union Chapel with my gorgeous friend @shazzleydazzley for belated birthday celebrations.
"Having time to read her book. Martha was everything and more. Thank you x." The star shared a series of photos and a video from the gig, as well as a snap of singer-songwriter Wainwright's book, Stories I Might Regret Telling You.
Charlie first appeared in Albert Square way back in 1999, and remained rher euntil 2004, before going on to have roles in Robin Hood and Beverley Allitt: Angel of Death, in which she portrayed a killer nurse. She returned to the Square in 2008 until 2012.
The mum-of-one returned to the soap in 2022, before competing in Dancing on Ice, alongside Olympic skater Eric Radford. Back in January, she addressed whether a return to Walford was on the cards.
"I'm going straight back into Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for a while, and then I probably need a little bit of time off," she said. "And then we're in talks about another theatre project at the moment, so I don't know yet.
"I'm biding my time. So who knows." Charlie starred as the Childcatcher in the UK tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, taking to the stage alongside Coyote Ugly's Adam Garcia last year.
Charlie shares her daughter, Kiki Truman Brooks, 20, with her ex partner, Ibiza club owner Tony Truman, who she split up with in 2006. But despite their relationship breakdown, the pair are still on good terms - so much so, that he lives in the flat above Charlie's home in Surrey.
She also dated architect Ben Hollington for around five years, but they split in 2017. Tony had got so attached to her new fella that he sobbed when they called it a day. More recently, she's been linked with advertising producer James Fuller.
Speaking on Yahoo UK' s White Wine Question Time podcast, she said: "My ex partner Ben, who I was with for five or six years, who's an amazing human being, you know, we woke up on Christmas Day together, all of us. Tony would come down, we'd all get into bed and open the presents together with Kiki, cos she adores Ben, and I think it can be problematic.
"I think he probably has more issues with that sort of thing than I do. I've been single for four years, so that's the longest I've ever been single. Then I was with Ben before that for five or six years, who was just really accepting. Tony absolutely adored him, we all went on holiday together. Tony cried when me and Ben broke up. He actually cried."

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