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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Katherine Heslop

EastEnders star who played original Lauren Branning looks very different on night out

Madeline Duggan, who originally played Lauren Branning in EastEnders, looked completely different from her Walford days as she glammed up a for a night out.

The actor, 28, starred as Max Branning's eldest daughter, from 2006 until 2010, with Jacqueline Jossa then taking on the role.

Lauren famously exposed her dad Max’s affair with daughter-in-law Stacey’s in the 2007 Christmas special, with her shocked family watching a video tape that revealed the secret.

Madeline looks nearly unrecognisable from her time on the soap, after leaving 13 years ago, with her Instagram account full of stunning photos.

In a photo from a night out, the soap star poses in front of a glittering gold background while wearing a blue minidress, pink heels and carrying a light coloured bag with a gold chain.

Madeline played Lauren from 2006 to 2010 (BBC)
Madeline rocks a blue dress and heels on a night out (madelinedugganxx/Instagram)

The actor looks confidently into the camera and wears her wavy dark hair down.

After leaving EastEnders, Madeline landed roles in TV show Rules of Love, before securing a role as the character Amy Chester in acclaimed BBC crime drama Silent Witness.

A year later the versatile actress starred in the British film Everyone’s Going to Die, cast as the character Laura in a storyline based on a couple embracing their past and moving on with their lives.

Stacey, Bradley and Lauren moments before Stacey and Max's affair is revealed (BBC)

In 2017 she played a waitress in the Channel 4 drama Dates and also had a role in Sky Atlantic’s French detective series The Tunnel: Sabotage and Home Alone.

She also appeared in a number of other films during her eclectic career, including Between Us, Spoilt Eggs and Maybe I’m Fine in 2019.

Madeline has also appeared in two music videos, for the bands Feeder and Shaduno, with acting still high on her priority list.

But it's her role in the iconic Max/Stacey affair-reveal that she is best known for.

Arguably one of the most iconic moments in TV soap history, EastEnders viewers were glued to the screen as Max and Stacey’s sordid affair was finally revealed in front of Max's wife Tanya and Stacey's husband, Bradley.

After filming the pair on her video camera on Stacey's wedding day, mischievous character Lauren burned the footage on to a DVD before playing it to the entire family on Christmas Day.

Madeline revealed in April 2020 that she was working part-time in a doctor’s surgery because “being an out of work actress doesn’t pay”.

Madeline now looks very different from her EastEnders days (madelinedugganxx/Instagram)

In April last year, Madeline payed tribute to EastEnders legend June Brown, who played Dot Cotton, after she died aged 95.

Posting on Twitter, she wrote: "Such a lovely, funny lady. A national treasure."

Meanwhile Jacqueline Jossa, who left the soap in 2018, returned as Lauren to film Dot Cotton's funeral scenes.

In December, Jacquline suggested Lauren could return to the square while taking part in a Q&A on Instagram.

"Do you think you will ever go back to EastEnders full time?" a curious follower asked her.

She answered: "I loved being back, and was so happy with you in my DMs, maybe one day."

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