Abi Branning is a fictional character from the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
soap opera
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'', played by
Lorna Fitzgerald. She was introduced by executive producer
Kate Harwood
Kate Harwood is a British television producer. She became managing director of the revived Euston Films in summer 2014.
Early life
Kate graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts in 1981 before becoming an ...
on 3 July 2006 as an extension to the
Branning family, along with father
Max Branning (
Jake Wood
Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is a British actor and podcaster from Westminster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' a ...
), mother
Tanya Branning
Tanya Branning (also Cross and Jessop) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jo Joyner. She made her first appearance on 27 June 2006. Joyner left the show temporarily on 25 December 2009 for maternity le ...
(
Jo Joyner) and older sister
Lauren Branning (
Madeline Duggan/
Jacqueline Jossa). Her storylines involve her friendships and relationships with
Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones/Joshua Pascoe/
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2 ...
) and
Jay Brown (
Jamie Borthwick), her toxic friendship with
Babe Smith (
Annette Badland
Annette Badland is a British actress known for a wide range of roles on television, radio, stage, and film. She is best known for her roles as Charlotte in the BBC crime drama series '' Bergerac'', Margaret Blaine in the BBC science fiction se ...
), faking a pregnancy so that Ben would not leave her for
Paul Coker (
Jonny Labey), being a suspect in the murder of
Lucy Beale (
Hetti Bywater), her affair with Lauren's fiancé,
Steven Beale (
Aaron Sidwell), and falling pregnant by him.
In September 2017, it was announced that Fitzgerald and Jossa had been axed by executive consultant
John Yorke. Abi's exit storyline involved her and Lauren falling from the roof of
The Queen Victoria
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the ...
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
on Christmas Day 2017, leading to Abi giving birth prematurely to her daughter,
Abi Branning Jr, and being confirmed
brainstem dead in later episodes. Abi's final scenes aired on 19 January 2018 after her life support is withdrawn. The character's funeral took place on 16 February 2018.
For her portrayal as Abi, Fitzgerald was nominated for Best Young Actor at the 2010
''Inside Soap'' Awards, and went on to win Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress at the 2012
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV (TV network), ITV. The trophies given to the winners are made from metal a ...
. Kate White of ''
Inside Soap'' praised her portrayal of Abi, saying that Fitzgerald is the "brightest young star in soap", adding "Abi's destined for great dramatic things".
A writer from the ''
Western Mail'' said that Abi's relationship with
Jay Brown (
Jamie Borthwick) is "Walford's answer to
Romeo and Juliet
''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
".
However, some critics were less positive, with one saying in 2012 that the audience were "not nearly" seeing as much of the "classic characters" due to the younger cast receiving more screen time.
Character creation and development
Introduction and characterisation

Abi was introduced into the series in 2006, by executive producer
Kate Harwood
Kate Harwood is a British television producer. She became managing director of the revived Euston Films in summer 2014.
Early life
Kate graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts in 1981 before becoming an ...
. The character and her casting was announced on 25 May 2006. She and her immediate family, father Max (Wood), mother Tanya (Joyner) and older sister Lauren (Duggan, recast to Jossa in 2010), are an extension of the
Branning family, who have appeared in ''EastEnders'' since 1993. Fitzgerald, in her first major television role, began filming for the soap in May 2006 and made her first on-screen appearance in July.
Fitzgerald's mother commented on her daughter's casting: "Personally, I feel I want to show how proud we are of her and to thank everyone who has prayed for her and helped her in any way. At first, it is just the look they go for. Then it is more intensive and she had to read from a script. By the second audition, she was still up against 60 or 70 people. You start thinking about it when she gets to the third audition, but when the agent rang up and said she had got the part it was an overwhelming feeling. You don't know what it means until that point".
Fitzgerald was offered the part about three months after her final audition.
As Fitzgerald was only 10 years old when she got the part, she was required to balance her filming requirements with schooling in Northampton, and learning lines.
In 2012, she told ''
Inside Soap'' that she thought she had messed up her audition, and did not realise how big the show was until she was older.
In 2014, she told
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
that when she met Wood and Joyner, her on-screen parents, she realised it did not matter that she had messed up her lines in her last audition, because she looked like them both.
Fitzgerald was required to cry on her first day of filming, and admitted in 2014 that this was embarrassing, and she was unable to produce tears, but was "just making noises".
Fitzgerald was chaperoned by her mother until she was 16.
Abi has been described by the official ''EastEnders'' website as the family's "golden girl" compared to Lauren, hinting that she knows how to get her own way.
She has been described as "bubbly" and "self-assured" with a nose for mischief.
She has also been described as having the biggest heart in Walford, bringing out the best in the people around her.
Jane Simon of the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' said that Abi is a "real soft touch". Jon Wise from ''
The People The People may refer to:
Legal jargon
* The People, term used to refer to the people in general, in legal documents
* "We the People of the United States", from the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution
* In philosophy, economics, and political scienc ...
'' said that after Abi received a makeover in 2010, she "actually turned out to be quite pretty". In 2012, Fitzgerald told ''Inside Soap'' Laura-Jane Tyler that Abi has grown up in her first six years on screen, and is now sensible, "like a
mother hen" and has had to mature quickly because of the dramatic situations she has been involved in.
Tyler added that Abi is the most level-headed and sensible member of the Branning family and "puts her
amilyto shame with her mature approach to
heir problems"
Early development
Abi's earlier storylines consist of her parents fighting for custody of her and her siblings, being injured in a collision with Deano Wicks' (Di Angelo) car and helping her friend Ben (Jones) with his abuse from stepmother Stella Crawford (Thompson) In February 2011, Abi was involved in a car accident with Max and would suffer severe injuries after their car collides with a lorry on the way to Tanya's wedding to her new partner Greg (Booth). The crash scenes were filmed on 6 March 2011 and aired on 14 April 2011.
After these minor storylines, Joyner said that Fitzgerald should be involved in more complex storylines in 2012.
She said, "I think it's going to be an exciting year for Lorna. She's been a natural on the show ever since she was younger, and I think she's one of our best actresses. What's lovely about this year is that she'll be doing her GCSEs, and then once that's out of the way, she can get something that's a bit heavier and a bit bigger. She'll be old enough to work longer hours, so I think they'd be mad if they didn't give her something to sink her teeth into at some point this year".
In November 2010, after sister Lauren was recast to Jossa, Jossa stated that she enjoys working with Fitzgerald, adding the two have a lot in common. Jossa, in 2012, wanted Lauren and Abi to bond more.
She commented: "I think realistically they would when they're going through a family problem like this. It would bring the family a little bit closer. I think they are quite close already and they have a lot of family banter! They may not like each other as people, but they love each other as family".
In December 2012, Fitzgerald conducted her first magazine interview and spoke of a storyline where Abi comforts Lauren over a relationship break up, saying "It's nice to see the little
istertaking care of the bigger one."
Jay Brown and Ben Mitchell
In March 2011, Abi starts a relationship with Jay (
Jamie Borthwick).
Borthwick admitted that he is enjoying filming Jay and Abi's relationship.
Speaking of Jay and Abi's relationship, Borthwick told ''
Inside Soap'', "I think Abi and Jay are a good couple," he said. "Jay's a right one – he's already had a crack at Abi's sister Lauren and now he's going for the younger one. He's got an eye for the Branning women".
Fitzgerald said that Jay and Abi are "cute together" but she cringes at Abi because she is "lovey-dovey".
The couple split in 2014 and Abi begins a relationship with Ben, knowing that he is gay but dismissing this and branding it a "phase". Speaking of his role, newcomer Harry Reid stated that Ben would "manipulate" Abi in his attempts to prove that he is straight.
Departure
On 10 September 2017, it was announced that Fitzgerald had been axed from the show by executive consultant
John Yorke, along with
Jacqueline Jossa. A spokesperson said: "We can confirm Jacqueline and Lorna will be leaving. They have been wonderful to work with and we wish them all the best for the future." Fitzgerald's final episode was broadcast on 19 January 2018, in which the character dies. At the end of the episode, instead of the usual closing title sequence, the image, focused on Abi's face, fades to black and no theme music is played.
Storylines
Abi moves to
Albert Square with her parents
Max
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
(
Jake Wood
Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is a British actor and podcaster from Westminster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' a ...
) and
Tanya Branning
Tanya Branning (also Cross and Jessop) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jo Joyner. She made her first appearance on 27 June 2006. Joyner left the show temporarily on 25 December 2009 for maternity le ...
(
Jo Joyner), and sister
Lauren Branning (
Madeline Duggan), where she befriends
Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones). Soon after, when Max's affair with his son
Bradley Branning's (
Charlie Clements) wife,
Stacey Slater (
Lacey Turner
Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...
), is revealed, Max and Tanya separate and eventually divorce. Abi begins to live sporadically with each parent, frequently defending Max to Tanya and Lauren, until Max and Tanya reunite, however Abi leaves with Tanya after learning of Max's financial problems. Abi starts to take an interest in Max's lodger
Darren Miller (
Charlie G. Hawkins), who is left uncomfortable when she tries to kiss him, telling her she is too young. She later develops a crush on
Jay Brown (
Jamie Borthwick), and the two begin dating. Jay and Abi cuddle up as they are watching television, but Max believes they are about to have sex, so he throws Jay out and rips Abi's bridesmaid dress to Greg and Tanya's wedding. They go to buy a new one, but they have a car crash on Greg and Tanya's wedding day. They suffer minor injuries and both recover. Despite Abi's insecurities over Jay's friendship with
Lola Pearce (
Danielle Harold), she and Jay remain together, and eventually Max comes to accept them as a couple.
Jay proposes to Abi and she accepts, but she is faced with a dilemma when she is offered the chance to go to
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
to help with
sea turtle
Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...
conservation. Jay gives Abi an ultimatum, threatening to break up with her if she goes to Costa Rica, but she goes regardless. She returns weeks later and the pair reconcile. Abi meets her cousin
Dexter Hartman (Khali Best), not knowing they are related, and this causes Jay to be jealous until the truth of their relationship is revealed. Abi tries to support Lauren (now played by
Jacqueline Jossa) with her drinking problem, however, this ends badly when Lauren destroys Abi's revision notes. Max is framed for causing a car crash that leaves
Phil Mitchell (
Steve McFadden) hospitalised. Abi and Lauren struggle to pay Max's legal costs, as well as their bills. Abi receives her exam results and discovers she has not gained the grades to go to university to become a vet, but Lauren, believing that Abi has passed the exams, throws a party, during which Abi blurts out that she blames Lauren for her poor results because she has an alcohol problem. Abi decides to continue studying, but when Max goes to prison, she has to take a job and struggles to find time for her studies. Max is proven innocent and returns home to support his family. In an argument between Jay and Dexter, Abi discovers that on a holiday, Jay kissed a barmaid. She also finds out that Lola knew and furiously confronts her. However, after a heart-to-heart with Jay, they decide to work through their issues and she fixes things with Dexter and Lola as well. She also takes in a stray dog,
Tramp
A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round.
Etymology
Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English '' ...
.
Abi's final A-Level results come through and she tells everyone that she has got what she needed to get into the
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
. However, she later confides in Jay that she has been lying, as not to disappoint her family. He encourages her to go through clearing and she gets a position doing a similar course at the
University of Bolton
The University of Greater Manchester (legally: The University of Bolton Higher Education Corporation) is a public university in Bolton, Greater Manchester in England. The university is commonly referred to as a 'post-92' institution, which is a ...
. Jay decides to go with Abi. Ben returns from prison and reveals he thinks Jay is in love with Lola, and he confesses this to Abi when she confronts him. He then ends things to stay in Walford. Devastated, she wants to leave for Bolton immediately, but when Max refuses to take her, she drives the car herself, accidentally running over Tramp, killing him; she callously declares that "things die". After her break up with Jay, Abi becomes a much nastier and bitter person. She begins a relationship with Ben (now played by
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2 ...
), which is discovered by
Emma Summerhayes (
Anna Acton) who informs Max of the relationship. Max demands that Abi does not see Ben any more, which Abi refuses to do. After she moves in with him, Ben reveals to her that he might still be gay and is worried he will never get over his homosexuality, but Abi assures him that they will make things work.
Following Ben's arrest for
Lucy Beale's (
Hetti Bywater) murder, Abi tells Phil that Max assaulted Lucy to get Ben off. Despite being innocent, Max turns himself in and is formally charged while Ben is released. Stacey visits Max, who tells her that he thinks Abi killed Lucy. Stacey confronts Abi, who attacks Stacey, blaming her for her parents' split and Bradley's death. Ben and Abi continue their relationship, but Ben is secretly seeing
Paul Coker (
Jonny Labey).
Babe Smith (
Annette Badland
Annette Badland is a British actress known for a wide range of roles on television, radio, stage, and film. She is best known for her roles as Charlotte in the BBC crime drama series '' Bergerac'', Margaret Blaine in the BBC science fiction se ...
) offers Abi work in the pub kitchen, and Abi tells Babe that she is able to turn a blind eye to Ben's homosexuality, as long as he loves her. However, when Abi finds a present that Ben has got for Paul, she realises he has feelings for Paul and confides in Babe, who helps her to publicly announce that she is pregnant. Ben asks Abi to have a termination but then changes his mind, saying he wants the baby. Abi then goes to Babe, panicking because she has lied and is not really pregnant. She decides to tell Ben the truth, but as she is about to do so, he tells her he has caught chlamydia. Abi later tests positive for chlamydia. Babe pushes Abi into Ben as he is pushed by Phil, knocking her to the ground. Babe takes Abi away from the square, and on their return, Abi tells Ben she has had a miscarriage. When she later sees Ben being comforted by Paul, she feels uneasy.
Abi and Babe discover that Ben's half-sister
Louise Mitchell (
Tilly Keeper) has been using Phil's credit card, so they force her to return everything she has bought. After a spat with Abi, Babe sends Ben a letter, telling him of the fake pregnancy. Louise finds the letter and blackmails Abi, telling her to move away with Ben. Abi tries to persuade Ben into moving but he refuses, saying he needs to be there for alcoholic Phil. Abi accidentally confesses, after which Ben gets drunk and kisses Abi in the pub toilets and starts to undress her, but then drags her into the pub in her underwear and reveals via the karaoke microphone that she made up her pregnancy. Babe emotionally blackmails Abi, forcing her to resign. Abi exposes Babe's secrets to the pub's landlord,
Mick Carter (
Danny Dyer
Danial John Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff in ''Human Traffic'' (1999), with other notable roles Billy the Limpet in ''Mean Machine (film), Mean Machine'' (2001) and as Tommy J ...
), so he tells Abi that she can keep her job. Abi locks Babe in the kitchen freezer room as an act of revenge, although Babe frames her sister,
Sylvie Carter
''EastEnders'' is a BBC soap opera that first aired on 19 February 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 2019, in order of first appearance. All new characters in 2014 were introduced by executive producer Dominic ...
(
Linda Marlowe). Abi is then reinstated at the Vic by a seemingly apologetic Babe but her behaviour, when alone in the kitchen with Abi, is threatening. Babe later leaves Walford after being thrown out by her family, so Abi runs the kitchen alone.
Abi tells Lauren's boyfriend,
Steven Beale (
Aaron Sidwell), that they would make a good couple during a heart-to-heart. Abi and Steven fall out with Lauren at Abi's 21st birthday party and start an affair; Abi later learns that Steven is lying about having a brain tumour so that Lauren will not leave him. Despite being against the idea, Abi does not tell Lauren as Steven promises Abi he is planning to leave Lauren to be with her. Then Abi is stunned by Steven's public marriage proposal to Lauren. Jane overhears Abi and Steven talking about their relationship and confronts them. Abi then discovers she is pregnant by Steven. Abi helps Steven keep up the lie by giving him a brain scan from a dog and animal medication that will give him symptoms of an illness, as well as helping to keep Lauren away from doctor's appointments that Steven has invented. Abi discovers that Ian's restaurant is on fire and goes inside. She finds Jane on the floor struggling to breathe. A pipe falls onto Abi, knocking her unconscious, but Max and Steven soon find her and drag her out. She is taken to hospital with Lauren by her side in the ambulance. At the hospital, Abi tells Steven he is going to be a father. Steven declares his love for her and makes a promise that he will make their relationship work. Steven then dies from injuries inflicted by Max during the fire, leaving an unaware Abi devastated.
Out of jealousy that Lauren is getting all the attention, Abi tries to tell Lauren about her pregnancy, but Lauren angrily mistakes this as gloating about her own abortion. Upset at the accusation, Abi says that she wishes Lauren died instead and that she never deserved Steven. Steven's tumour lie is revealed, so Abi attends Steven's funeral as the sole mourner and declares her love. Abi is fired from her job at the vets when they have CCTV evidence of her stealing medication. She asks Mick to extend her working hours at the pub, but he makes her redundant as they need to save money. Lauren eventually learns the truth about Abi and Steven's affair when she catches Abi wearing her wedding dress. Lauren is disgusted to learn that Abi is pregnant with Steven's baby, but over time, Lauren becomes more supportive.
Abi goes away, and on her return, is confused when people are showing hatred towards Max, unaware that he was involved in a plan to redevelop Albert Square, including turning business into luxury flats and evicting people from their homes and places of work. Abi and Lauren discover that Max knows Abi is pregnant; Lauren disowns him while Abi tries to offer support, but he insults her. However, they later make amends. On Christmas Day, Tanya returns to take Lauren and Abi away from Walford, revealing that Max killed Steven and tried to kill Jane. Lauren and Abi reject Max. Max goes to the roof of the
Queen Vic
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows t ...
, planning to jump, so Lauren and Abi climb on to the ledge to try and stop him. As Max agrees to his daughter's pleas to not jump, Lauren slips on the wet surface and Abi grabs her hand to stop her falling; both sisters fall off to the ground. Still alive, they are taken to hospital, where an ultrasound shows Abi's baby is alive. Abi has a CT scan and Lauren has surgery. Lauren recovers but
Dr. Harding (Nick Waring) tells Max that Abi is brainstem dead and has no chance of regaining consciousness. Abi's baby is delivered via
cesarean section. Max is hopeful that Abi will recover and does not tell Lauren the truth, but she slaps Max when she finds out. Max obtains a court order to stop Abi's life support being withdrawn and plans to take her to the US for a treatment that will cost £2,000,000, but Harding urges Max to do the dignified thing for Abi as she is already dead and as Abi is not a minor, he has no legal right to take her. After her funeral Max names her baby
Abi Branning, in her memory and she is toasted in the Vic while her friends let off balloons.
Reception
Fitzgerald was nominated for the "Best Young Actor" at the
2010 ''Inside Soap'' Awards for her portrayal of Abi
though lost out to ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
s,
Alex Bain, who plays
Simon Barlow
Simon Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and was played by Alex Bain between 2008 and 2024. The character was originally played by twins, Jake and Oscar Hartley, on his birth in 2003. Simon is ...
.
Fitzgerald won the award for "Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress" at the
2012 British Soap Awards 2012 an award which Tony Stewart from the ''Daily Mirror'' said was "well deserved".
Fitzgerald said she did not expect to win the award.
In January 2012, Kate White of ''Inside Soap'' praised both Fitzgerald and her character, saying "In Fitzgerald, ''EastEnders'' has the brightest young star in soap. The rest of her family are getting all the juicy stuff right now, but Abi's destined for great dramatic things. Mark our words".
Her colleague, Steven Murphy, said ''Inside Soap'' had "long admired" Fitzgerald.
Stewart said, due to Max's past events with his family, what Abi might say when Max objects to her relationship with Jay, "It won't be her setting a gerbil on him", calling her a "goody-two-shoes".
A writer from the ''
Western Mail'' said that the Branning/Mitchell Feud makes Abi and Jay feel like "Walford's answer to Romeo and Juliet".
Two writers from the ''Daily Mirror'' mocked the storyline where Abi turns down the trip to Costa Rica. One said, "An extreme case of soap agoraphobia as brilliant Abi sensibly turns down the chance to spend eight weeks in the tropical paradise of Costa Rica. But in the tiny micro-world of ''EastEnders'', even the three-mile odyssey from Walford to the West End is considered an epic journey. So Central America is simply out of the question" with another saying, "Abi was a little girl arranging tearful funerals for her pets. But now she's a young teenager, secretly engaged to boyfriend Jay and planning to run away together. He then gives Abi an ultimatum: him or her trip to Costa Rica. Best pass her the suncream, then". However, Abi, along with the younger members of the cast were thought to be the blame of declining ratings for the show; "In the last two months, viewers have seen lots of Lauren,
Lucy Beale (
Hetti Bywater),
Whitney Dean (
Shona McGarty),
Fatboy (
Ricky Norwood), Ben Jay, Abi and
Anthony Moon (
Matt Lapinskas) – but not nearly so much of the classic characters".
''Inside Soap'' noted that Abi and Jay's relationship was popular with viewers.
The 2016 storyline in which Abi lies that she has suffered a miscarriage to cover up a pregnancy lie was criticised by Zoe Clark-Coates, co-founder and CEO of
The Mariposa Trust, who said, "To regularly see TV shows using fake miscarriages as light entertainment could make people question genuine losses." In August 2017, Fitzgerald was longlisted for "Best Bad Girl" at the
2017 ''Inside Soap'' Awards, while she and
Aaron Sidwell (
Steven Beale) were longlisted for "Best Partnership". Fitzgerald made the viewer-voted shortlist in the "Best Bad Girl" category, but lost out to
, who portrays
Emma Barton in ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...
''. The scene where Lauren and Abi fell from the roof of The Queen Vic was awarded "Scene of the Year" at the
2018 British Soap Awards, tying with ''
Doctors
Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to:
Titles and occupations
* Physician, a medical practitioner
* Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree
** Doctorate
** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
'' who also won the same award for "The Bollywood Proposal".
Abi's death was nominated for "Most devastating Soap Death" at the 2018 ''
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
'' Reader Awards; it came in seventh place with 6.4% of the total votes.
See also
*
List of ''EastEnders'' characters (2006)
*
List of soap opera villains
*"
Who Killed Lucy Beale?"
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Branning, Abi
EastEnders characters
Television characters introduced in 2006
Child characters in soap operas
Fictional receptionists
Fictional waiting staff in soap operas
British female characters in soap operas
English female characters in television
Female villains
Teenage characters in soap operas
Branning family