EASTENDERS star Lorraine Stanley has been spotted looking worlds away from her character Karen in a glam new Instagram snap.
The soap actress could be seen wearing her natural curls down as she headed out for a night out with pals on Thursday.
Lorraine, 46, who is best known for playing Karen Taylor in the long-running BBC One soap, looked glamorous in the new snap.
Showing off her long curly blonde locks, the actress appeared to go make-up free for the selfie as she held up a glass of wine.
She wore a striped shirt for the special occasion, as she revealed her two friends had taken her for a “birthday meal”.
“Thank you for a lovely birthday meal, you spoilt me,” Lorraine wrote to her two friends. “Food, company and cocktails were the best.”
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Fans and friends flooded the comments section to give Lorraine their best wishes on her big day, calling her “beautiful”.
Lorraine has been playing Karen on the BBC show since 2017 – and looks very different to the scruffy character in real life.
She’s previously opened up about playing Karen and confessed she thinks she looks “awful” on the show.
Lorraine said: “I don’t wear a scrap of make up, not even foundation. It’s good for my skin. I do the bun myself and I’m good to go.”
Discussing Karen’s infamous style which usually involves a strappy top and some comfy bottoms, she added: “I pushed for the bra straps on show and the very tight fitting stuff when I first joined.
“She’s a big woman who shows her curves. I cover mine but Karen couldn’t care less.
“Plus I’ve never played glamorous roles on telly so I’m used to seeing myself and thinking ‘Oh my God you look awful’.
“Although sometimes if my fella is sat next to me and he has EastEnders on I’ll say, ‘Don’t look at me on screen’. He knows I’m a sort in real life though.”
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It comes after Lorraine was spotted kissing her partner Mark Perez in a rare snap as they celebrated their eighth anniversary.
The happy couple, who have a six-year-old daughter Nancy, looked loved-up in the series of pics posted to Instagram.
