EastEnders fans were delighted by the news of Ruby Allen’s (Louisa Lytton) return to Albert Square.

Ruby and Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) were best friends for years. However, their relationship broke down when Ruby started seeing Martin Fowler (James Bye), Stacey’s ex.

As part of the lead-up to the 40th anniversary of the BBC One soap, Ruby will soon make her way back to Albert Square.

As fans gear up for her return, let’s look back on Louisa’s acting credentials and why she’s back in the soap.

Why did Louisa Lytton leave EastEnders?

In order to facilitate Louisa’s maternity leave, Ruby was sent to prison in November 2021 after being wrongly accused by the Slater family of running a cannabis farm.

Shortly before Ruby’s departure, she claimed to be pregnant with Martin’s child, but he refused to believe her after discovering all of the lies Ruby told that led to Stacey going to prison.

For a prolonged stint later this year, we may finally get some answers on whether she was telling the truth about the pregnancy, but suffice to say she will be ready to cause chaos for Martin and Stace, who both thought they had seen the back of her for good.

Speaking about her return, Louisa said: ‘I am thrilled to have been asked back to the Square to revisit Ruby once more, and to shed some light on what the past three years have been like for her during her time away from Walford.

‘I’ve always loved playing Ruby as there is never a dull moment and I cannot wait for everyone to see what Ruby has in store.’

What else has Louisa Lytton starred in?

35-year-old Lytton was born in Camden and studied at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone.

She’s been acting since 1997 when she was in an episode of The Bill.

In 1999, she appeared as a little girl in an episode of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders’ Let Them Eat Cake, and in 2002, she was Emma Watson’s body double in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

She first appeared at Ruby Allen in EastEnders from 2005 until 2006, when she left in the back of a taxi after her father’s funeral and a falling out with Stacey.

Also in 2006, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and made it through to the quarter finals.

Between her last EastEnders appearance and now, Lytton returned to The Bill in 2007 to play the recurring character PC Beth Green until 2009.

In 2010, she appeared in an episode of Casualty, and in 2014, she had a recurring role in Edge of Heaven.

She then came back to play Ruby in September 2018, close to 12 years after she’d been on the show as a teenager.