Actor Nicholas Bailey has spoken about his explosive exit from EastEnders.

The BBC One soap aired dramatic scenes on Christmas Day as he was killed following a confrontation with former lover Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) over their missing twin children, whose existence she had kept from Anthony.

Following this, Zoe was reunited with their presumed dead daughter – revealed to be Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) – who had been tormenting Zoe with encouragement from her returned old enemy Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman).

Zoe later handed herself in to the police over Anthony’s death, but it seems clear that she didn’t actually kill Anthony.

Boxing Day’s episode ended with Jasmine’s words convincing grandmother Kat Moon (Jessiw Wallace) that the killer was likely Chrissie herself.

Regardless of who did the deed, one thing is for sure: a heartbroken Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) has lost another son.

In an interview shared with RadioTimes.com and other press outlets below, actor Nicholas Bailey – who also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing on Christmas Day – has spoken about his big Christmas exit from EastEnders.

What was it like to film a massive Christmas exit and have so much drama for Anthony in his final days?

“A Christmas storyline is a huge moment in soap, so to get that and a big Christmas Day exit was a real honour! Obviously, it was bittersweet because it meant I was leaving, and I’ve felt really at home since I came back to EastEnders. But the storyline itself is tremendous, and it gave me much more to do than I expected. It’s been great to come out of my comfort zone and play some spectacular scenes full of spectacular lines.”

Did you expect Anthony to go down such a dark path?

“My jaw hit the floor when our producer Ben Wadey told me where this was going and what was going to happen. But I think it was a masterstroke because when I look back, Anthony was always a bit like a pressure cooker, and he let things build and build before the steam escapes. This time he couldn’t keep the lid on it!”

How did you feel to say goodbye to Anthony after so many years?

“I was sad things were coming to an end, but I wanted to lean into the excitement of this story being a launch pad for some incredible stuff heading into 2026. I love EastEnders and I love seeing the show thrive. So, while I’m sad to be saying goodbye to Anthony, I’m happy it means my friends are going to have some incredible stuff to play following his death.”

Above all else, Bailey shared his “gratitude” for being asked to return and for working with Rudolph Walker, Jessie Wallace, and Michelle Ryan once again – the last of whom he was unaware he would be working with when he initially signed up to return.