Overview

• Ellie Dadd will temporarily exit EastEnders this Christmas to headline Beauty and the Beast as Belle at Fairfield Halls in London.
• The pantomime season opens on December 12 and involves a demanding schedule of two performances a day over the holiday period.
• Since joining the soap in 2022 as Amy Mitchell, Dadd has been praised for her handling of intense self-harm and mental health storylines.
• She has signaled she may request a longer hiatus from EastEnders next year to pursue a spot on Strictly Come Dancing.
• Dadd began performing in pantomime at age six and met future co-stars Tilly Keeper and Zack Morris while training at the D&B Academy of Performing Arts.