EastEnders' Cheryl Fergison reminded of show twist in b-day tribute

Soap fans have reminded Cheryl Fergison of a notorious EastEnders twist following a birthday tribute to co-star Steve McFadden.

Cheryl took to X to share a sweet post to mark Steve's birthday on Wednesday (March 20), which featured a photo collage of the pair in front of London Bridge.

"Steve you deserve the best birthday love you lots bro," she captioned the post.

However, some EastEnders fans were unable to separate Steve from his character of Phil Mitchell, who played a role in helping cover up Cheryl's character Heather Trott's death.

Related: EastEnders first look at aftermath of Denise and Jack's divorce bombshell

"His son killed you," one fan pointed out in the replies, while another wrote: "Remember when you took the scouts back to the flat and Phil was bowling about in his dressing gown!!"

However, the actress was quick to remind fans Steve can't be blamed for his character's actions, writing that "character and person [are] two different people" in a quote-tweet.

Cheryl joined EastEnders in 2007 playing fan-favourite character Heather Trott. The character gave birth to a baby boy in 2009 before eventually being killed off by Phil's son Ben Mitchell in 2012.

Since her exit from EastEnders, the actress has weighed in on the direction of BBC One soap several times, most recently critiquing the excessive use of violence in storylines.

Related: Former EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison calls for changes to soap

"I am not the morality police but I do think EastEnders has lost its way a little," she told the Daily Star.

"I think people are craving for something more relatable and familiar rather than sensationalised. It has become a bit far-fetched. There are only so many killings and serial killers."

She added: "It needs to go back to basics and focus on community."

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage

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