Viewers pondered whether this was the last they would see of Rocky Cotton’s (Brian Conley) cunning ex-wife Jo Cotton when she departed EastEnders after taking £50,000 of Kathy Beale’s (Gillian Taylforth) hard-earned earnings.
In her last appearances, she was shown talking on the phone to an unidentified individual and saying that although she had “got what she wanted,” there was still “plenty more for the taking.”
As a result, we began to wonder if Jo would return to Albert Square to stir up even more commotion. At the Inside Soap Awards, actress Vicki Michelle quickly gave us the information.
That was the issue, she said, “I think they left it open.” I hope to speak with you soon! That would be wonderful.
The enormous response from fans to Jo’s entrance wasn’t lost on Vicki, who admired how deeply fans had fallen in love with the character.
“I adored it.” Oh my gosh, we love this persona, people would call me and say. She clarified.
And it’s interesting how people protect you when you’re on EastEnders. When I make fun of Rocky, a fan will comment, “Oh, she was so harsh to Rocky,” and another fan will respond, “Well, what do you expect? She was abandoned by him 25 years ago! She had no idea if he was still alive or not.
I believe that people’s ability to embody the characters in EastEnders is what makes it so fascinating.
On Kathy’s wedding day to Rocky, who had recently learned that Jo’s divorce from him hadn’t truly been finalized, Jo’s rivalry with Kathy finally resulted in an epic battle in the Queen Vic.
Vicki had some amazing one-liners to give in those sequences, including one that she cherishes in particular.
Some of the conversation… I had a statement to my friend Gilly that was very brilliant: “You love, are the mushroom on a plate of full English that no one wants.” I found it pretty tough to convey this to her.
How clever is that? But it was incredibly challenging to tell that to Gilly without giggling!
It is unknown if Jo will return, but given that Brian Conley will no longer be playing Rocky Cotton, we can’t help but wonder if she will have any influence on his decision to leave.
Could Jo break her promise and accuse Rocky of bigamy, leading to his demotion? Or perhaps Rocky and Jo might renew their passion and go happily ever after? We must wait and see…