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BBC EastEnders star Melanie Clark Pullen dies aged 46 after cancer battle

Melanie Clark Pullen, who starred in EastEnders in the 1990s has died aged 46. The actress played Mary Flaherty, the long-lost great niece of Pauline Fowler between 1997 and 1999.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2019 and sadly died on March 29, 2022. She leaves behind husband Simon and three children.

Tributes have begun to pour in for the actress from fans of the show. One fan, Aaron Prole, said: "I am absolutely devastated... Melanie played Mary so well. A very talented young actress she was."

Facebook Melanie had documented her cancer battle

He added: "Fly high Melanie! At least you're no longer in pain."

Patrick Clohessy said: "Another one taking from the dreadful C. RIP Melanie Clark Pullen. She played Mary Flaherty in EastEnders from 1997 to 1999. The first Irish barmaid in EastEnders. Also a part of the 1997 Irish episodes. Fowler's."

"Really sad to hear the news about Melanie Clark Pullen," said Maeve McGrath. "We found ourselves in similar audition rooms in the 90s/00s and what an actress. She was a cracker."

Who did Melanie play in EastEnders?

Mary Flaherty was the long-lost great niece of show stalwart Pauline Fowler. Pauline discovered she had a sister in Ireland in 1997 and the Fowlers took a trip to meet her.

Mary ultimately came back to live in Walford and was close to Pauline and her cousin Mark. After romances with Joe Wicks and Matthew Rose, Mary left in 1999 to move to Scotland with her father and his pregnant girlfriend, Ruth Fowler.

BBC Melanie as Mary with her EastEnders co-stars in July 1998

Cancer battle

The actress, from Wicklow in Ireland, underwent a double mastectomy in May 2020, and had the 'all clear' from doctors. During her treatment it was discovered she had the BRCA 2 gene and was advised to undergo a double mastectomy. She also had her ovaries and tubes removed and had five rounds of radiotherapy. 

Speaking to the Irish News at the time, she said: "I got the all clear; I'm cancer free, which is great, so now it's all about recovery. Having just gone through surgery though, my immune system was compromised so we took the decision to take the kids out of school, even before lockdown started."

However, she revealed on her website in June 2021 that the cancer had returned and she now had a brain tumour. She wrote: “I was only given the all clear from cancer 18 months ago and it’s a cruel blow to think that I will now be starting into some kind of treatment again and that this time it will be long term and a permanent fixture of my life.”

Melanie was very open on her Facebook page about her progress and treatment. Her last post, on March 14, saw her happy and smiling as she visited family. However, she had informed followers previously she was intending to keep a low profile as she worked out her next options in terms of treatment. 

Reference: My London: Hannah Kane