Former EastEnders star Danielle Harold, renowned for her portrayal of Lola Pearce in the BBC soap, recently made a surprising revelation about the show’s set. Harold appeared on Celebrity MasterChef and disclosed a behind-the-scenes secret about the Walford Square setting. The 32-year-old actress, who featured on the cooking competition’s nineteenth season on August 20, credited her grandfather as her culinary inspiration during a conversation with judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. She shared that her experience learning from her grandfather surpassed her time at Walford Square’s chippy, where all the fish displayed in the shop were revealed to be fake.
Impressing the judges with her dish of butter-cooked plaice and roasted asparagus, Harold reflected on her cooking influences, mentioning that her mother was not a skilled cook, but her grandfather was. In response to Gregg’s inquiry about cooking on EastEnders, Harold disclosed that she never had the opportunity to cook on the show and revealed that the fish in the chippy scenes were plastic. Harold joined EastEnders in 2011 as Lola Pearce, a character who became a fan favourite for her storylines involving relationships and motherhood. Portraying Lola for over a decade, Harold’s character faced a tragic turn when diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2022, which culminated in a heartbreaking departure from the show in 2023.
Harold expressed her enthusiasm for future projects after leaving EastEnders, expressing a desire to explore different roles beyond soap operas. This news comes alongside Chloe Burrows’ appearance on Celebrity MasterChef, where her culinary efforts did not meet the judges’ expectations, leading to her early exit from the competition. Danielle Harold’s revelation about the EastEnders set sheds light on the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the beloved BBC soap opera.