EastEnders’ Annette Badland hints at shock return and fuels rumours Tina Carter is alive and seeking Aunt Babe’s help

EASTENDERS star Annette Badland has hinted she’s making a shock return to the Walford – and that Tina Carter isn’t dead.

The 70-year-old actress, who played the Square legend Babe Smith from 2014 to 2017 in the BBC soap, has fuelled the rumours by teasing that her niece is actually alive and seeking her aunt’s help.

Back in December Tina (Luisa Bradshaw-White) was murdered by evil Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) after he realised that she knew he had killed his wife Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Kate Plummer).

But fans of the show think that she’s still alive and some how managed to escape Gray’s evil ways.

To add to their suspicion, Annette has suggested that her alter-ego may return to Walford in a major plot twist.

The star tweeted out a touching clip of the Carter family in the Queen Vic from many years ago and captioned the post: “Faaaaaaamily!”

A fan of EastEnders – who clearly doesn’t think Tina is dead – replied to the tweet: “What a character Aunt Babe was, hopefully a return is imminent! Just as I’m tweeting this, I’m thinking what if Tina has gone off to get Aunt Babe’s help?!”

And the actress simply replied: “Be careful what you wish for.”

Viewers of the show have been wracking their brains to come up with theories about Tina’s shock departure.

Many believe that Tina survived Gray Atkins’ murder and she is actually just being held prisoner.

Meanwhile others think that the evil man is going to kill again and murder a homeless woman who reminded him of the barmaid.

But for the time being, viewers are just going to have to wait and see what happens next.

Just days after leaving the show in 2017, Annette hinted that her character would make a comeback in the future.

The star told Radio Times magazine: “The great thing about Babe is she’s a survivor. She’s wounded, but she won’t give in.

“So I think with all the threats she made, Babe might be back at some point.

“She’s cursed the Carters, and you don’t cross Aunt Babe and get away with it.”

So Tina’s death seems like the perfect time for her to make her epic return.