EastEnders' Honey gets the chop

Actress Emma Barton, who plays Honey Mitchell in EastEnders, has been axed by the soap, according to the papers. The Sun reports that the 32-year-old actress was stunned after receiving the news on Friday. Actor Perry Fenwick, who plays her onscreen husband Billy, will remain in the show. "Emma's a lovely actress, but we've just come to the end of her storyline," said a source. "Honey will go this summer." Barton said she was "looking forward to returning to musical theatre". Honey first appeared in EastEnders in 2005, and since then has featured in a string of major storylines. These have included the birth of her daughter Janet, who has Down's Syndrome, and being faced with homelessness last Christmas. The Sun also reports that the soap's production schedule is under threat after actress Samantha Janus fractured her shoulder in a fall. The 35-year-old, who plays Ronnie Mitchell, is currently in the middle of a big storyline which sees her secretly romancing Jack Branning, played by actor Scott Maslen. "Sam was due on set yesterday, so we had to cancel her scenes," said a studio insider. "We don't know how long it will take her to recover."