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EastEnders legend Maisie Smith speaks on a potential return for Tiffany Butcher 4 years after exit

"The thing is with EastEnders, it is gonna be there forever and I've got such a big family there."

Maisie Smith looking at the camera.

Dave Benett / Getty Images.

Published: Wednesday, 17 June 2026 at 4:59 pm

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EastEnders legend Maisie Smith has addressed the possibility of a return to her role as Tiffany Butcher in the BBC soap.

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The actress, who took on the role in 2008 and continued to appear on-and-off until 2022, was involved in some big storylines over the years, including her marriage to Keegan Baker, an on-going feud with Dotty Cotton, and a drug smuggling plot.

Her exit storyline in 2022 saw her character leave the Square to live with her brother Liam in Germany.

Speaking on Radio Times podcast In the Interval, Smith said of the reasons behind her exit: "I ultimately decided to leave EastEnders because as much as I loved playing Tiffany and I loved the family that was there, I was itching to get on the stage."

Since leaving the show, Smith has had numerous theatre roles, including starring as Marge in the stage adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley and as Beth in Jeff Wayne's musical version of The War of the Worlds. She also took on the lead role in Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom the Musical.

Maisie Smith as Tiffany Butcher in EastEnders.

Maisie Smith as Tiffany Butcher in EastEnders. BBC

Meanwhile, addressing a potential return to EastEnders, she said: "I can't think I'd say yes right now because of what I've got coming up."

She added: "I'm really enjoying the idea of playing different characters. But thing is with EastEnders, it is gonna be there forever and I've got such a big family there. On screen and off screen."

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Elsewhere in the interview, she spoke about Tiffany's iconic phrase ‘NFI’, which stands for ‘not flipping invited', revealing: "It's so bizarre. It's probably one of the most common things that people say to me, like when I have interactions in the street on a night out."

She added: "I don't even know when it kind of became a thing really, just overnight. Suddenly that's the girl that says 'you are NFI'."

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Authors

RadioTimes.com senior trends writer Molly Moss. She is sitting outside wearing a black top, holding a white teacup with a smily face on it to her mouth

Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

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