The late 1970s delivered some of television’s most beloved and iconic sitcoms, from Happy Days to Three’s Company. Among the era’s biggest hits was Laverne & Shirley, starring Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as the titular wisecracking brewery workers and best friends. During its peak, Laverne & Shirley rivaled Happy Days itself in popularity, cementing Williams and Marshall as household names.
However, at the height of its fame in 1982, Williams abruptly exited the show due to long-simmering creative differences and tensions with producers. While the loss of one of its stars initially devastated Laverne & Shirley, the show attempted to carry on without Williams before ending for good two seasons later.
For Williams, departing Laverne & Shirley marked a dramatic crossroads in her career. Having portrayed Shirley Feeney for nearly a decade and becoming famous for her on-screen chemistry with Marshall, Williams was ready to pursue new creative directions. However, producers wanted her to fulfill her contract for two more seasons before they would renegotiate for more money. The ensuing standoff led to a bitter lawsuit, with Williams suing Paramount for mistreatment and lack of accommodation when she became pregnant.
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Why Is Louise Mitchell? Everything to know
Louise Mitchell first appeared in EastEnders in 2001 as the daughter of Phil Mitchell and his girlfriend, Lisa Fowler. She was played by several child actors over the years before Tilly Keeper took over the role in 2016 as a teenager. Louise became a prominent character in the soap, getting involved in major storylines. However, in 2019 it was announced that Tilly Keeper would be leaving the role after 4 years. There were several reasons for Louise’s departure from Walford.
Why did Louise Mitchell leave Eastenders?
The main storyline leading up to Louise’s exit centered around her falling in love with Keanu Taylor and getting pregnant with his baby. This was complicated by the fact that Keanu was also having an affair with Sharon Mitchell, who was married to Louise’s father, Phil. When Phil found out about Louise’s pregnancy, he was furious, and a big Mitchell family war broke out. Phil wanted Louise to have an abortion, but she refused and decided to go on the run with Keanu.
Louise ended up giving birth prematurely after getting caught up in a boat crash on the River Thames during the show’s 35th-anniversary episodes in February 2020. She nearly died during childbirth and was left in critical condition. After waking up from her coma, Louise realized she couldn’t cope with the baby. She made the tough decision to let Karen Taylor adopt her daughter, who she named Peggy after her grandmother.
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With her ties to Walford and the Mitchells now severed, Louise decided to leave Albert Square for a fresh start. Her exit scenes aired in March 2020 as she bid an emotional goodbye to her mother Lisa, and headed to the train station to move away. She wanted to put the drama of the previous year behind her and make a new life for herself elsewhere. Louise hoped to one day reconnect with her daughter Peggy when the time was right.
Off-screen, there were also some factors that led to Tilly Keeper’s decision to leave Eastenders after 4 years in the role of Louise. According to reports, Tilly felt like she had taken the character of Louise as far as she could. Louise had been at the center of some hard-hitting storylines, including her rape ordeal at the hands of Neil Clifton. With those dark plots taking an emotional toll, Tilly was ready for a new challenge.
There was also speculation that the grueling filming schedule on the soap had worn Tilly down. She wanted to explore other acting opportunities while she was still young. Additionally, the storyline felt like Louise’s narrative possibilities had been exhausted, so mutually agreed to write her out. They left the door open for a potential return down the line.
In the end, Louise’s exit made sense for both the character’s journey and the actress’s career. The troubled Mitchell daughter had gone through trauma and needed a fresh start. Meanwhile, Tilly Keeper felt ready to spread her wings after 4 intense years on the Square. Louise’s emotional farewell tied up her storylines while paving the way for the next chapter in her life.
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