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6 January 2011
Last updated at 06:15 ET
EastEnders actress Samantha Womack, whose character has been involved in a controversial baby swap plot, is to leave the show, it has been announced.
The storyline, which sees Womack's character swap her dead child for another baby, has prompted thousands of complaints to the BBC.
However, a spokesman for the actress has refused to comment on reports she quit over the distressing scenes.
A BBC spokesman said the storyline "allows an exit for Ronnie Branning".
The 38-year-old will leave the BBC One soap in a few months.
The Sun newspaper claimed the 38-year-old actress brought filming to a halt during the scenes as she was so upset.
Her character Ronnie Branning lost her baby son James to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) - then swapped him for Kat Moon's newborn child Tommy.
The BBC said: "Samantha Womack has been a major part of the show's success in recent years and she will continue to work with us until her departure later this year."
Viewers complaints TV presenter Anne Diamond, who has campaigned to raise the awareness of SIDS after her son died in 1991, told the BBC News website that she thought EastEnders script writers had "lost the plot".
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
"This crass twist to an otherwise credible storyline hasn't done one iota of good in educating a young audience about cot death, and it has upset a lot of mums and dads like me who've been through the worst nightmare a parent can endure and who have stayed sane, sensible and responsible despite it," she said.
Since the storyline was announced, 5,826 viewers have complained to the BBC about the New Year's storyline, which saw Ronnie take Kat's baby.
Earlier this week, EastEnders executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said: "We appreciate this is a challenging storyline and have taken care to ensure viewers were aware of the content in advance of transmission".
Justine Roberts, who is the founder and chief executive of parenting website Mumsnet, has written a letter of complaint to the BBC's director general.
She said that thousands of mothers have contacted the website and are concerned that bereaved mothers are often portrayed as "deranged and unhinged".
Ms Roberts said that complainants had called for the issue of cot death to be "tackled with intelligence and sensitivity".
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The storyline, which sees Womack's character swap her dead child for another baby, has prompted thousands of complaints to the BBC.
However, a spokesman for the actress has refused to comment on reports she quit over the distressing scenes.
A BBC spokesman said the storyline "allows an exit for Ronnie Branning".
The 38-year-old will leave the BBC One soap in a few months.
The Sun newspaper claimed the 38-year-old actress brought filming to a halt during the scenes as she was so upset.
Her character Ronnie Branning lost her baby son James to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) - then swapped him for Kat Moon's newborn child Tommy.
The BBC said: "Samantha Womack has been a major part of the show's success in recent years and she will continue to work with us until her departure later this year."
Viewers complaints TV presenter Anne Diamond, who has campaigned to raise the awareness of SIDS after her son died in 1991, told the BBC News website that she thought EastEnders script writers had "lost the plot".
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
In my opinion, the writers have lost the plot”
End Quote
Anne Diamond
TV presenter and cot death campaigner
"This crass twist to an otherwise credible storyline hasn't done one iota of good in educating a young audience about cot death, and it has upset a lot of mums and dads like me who've been through the worst nightmare a parent can endure and who have stayed sane, sensible and responsible despite it," she said.
Since the storyline was announced, 5,826 viewers have complained to the BBC about the New Year's storyline, which saw Ronnie take Kat's baby.
Earlier this week, EastEnders executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said: "We appreciate this is a challenging storyline and have taken care to ensure viewers were aware of the content in advance of transmission".
Justine Roberts, who is the founder and chief executive of parenting website Mumsnet, has written a letter of complaint to the BBC's director general.
She said that thousands of mothers have contacted the website and are concerned that bereaved mothers are often portrayed as "deranged and unhinged".
Ms Roberts said that complainants had called for the issue of cot death to be "tackled with intelligence and sensitivity".
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