EastEnders star Lorraine Stanley admits she is struggling to find new acting roles amid her character Karen’s shock exit

Lorraine Stanley revealed she is struggling to find new acting gigs following the shock departure of her character Karen Taylor in BBC soap EastEnders.

It was announced that Karen will be leaving Walford at the end of this year, but her exit storyline is currently unknown.

Now the soap actress, 47, has shared some of her struggles in a candid Instagram story – as she looks for new acting roles after seven years on the BBC series.

Lorraine shared a photo of a homemade audition room with lots of panels, lighting, a tripod and a chair, as she prepared to self-record a brand new audition clip to send out.

She admitted she struggled with managing the equipment and told fans how Zack Morris – who played her on-screen son Keegan Baker – gave her some very useful tips on how to create an authentic setting.

Zack, 25, currently leads the cast of Disney+'s Goosebumps as Isaiah Howard as he continues his career in the US.

“Self-band setup in the loft, I'm so not technical but I'm proud I was able to set it up all by myself with advice on equipment from @_zack_morris,” she wrote.

'I just finished one and it's hard work… I'll get there. It's a struggle to look at yourself and not be very critical of yourself…just let it go and send it #SENT.”

It comes after Lorraine broke her silence in October after being forced to leave Albert Square.

She has played matriarch Karen for seven years and is being written out of the BBC soap as part of a shock cast shake-up.

Speaking to The Sun, Lorraine revealed she was sad to leave the EastEnders family, but was excited to see what opportunities would come next.

And the actress may get a role in a rival soap, as she revealed: 'I think it should be Corrie and I should be the new landlady.

'I would be Gemma's (Winter) aunt, Bernie's sister. I would become part of their family and take over The Rovers.”

She shared the shock moment of finding out she was being suspended, explaining that while she was sad to leave, it gave her the opportunity to push herself outside her comfort zone.

Speaking about her character's legacy, she said: 'I just want people to remember her as the best mother on the block, a heart of gold, she gives you her last fiver and would do anything for her children – a bit like me. '

The actress will leave the soap at the end of this year and Lorraine admitted she would be furious if her character was killed off.

'I hope the door remains open for Karen. I can't say too much, but if they killed me I would never watch EastEnders again.'

Since joining the soap in 2017, Lorraine has played the single mother launderette who arrived in Walford with her brood Keanu (Danny Walters), Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), Bernadette (Clair Norris), Riley and Chatham – played by real-life brothers Tom and Alfie Jacobs.

Lorraine won't be the only character to leave the soap in the coming months after the soap made history in February with their epic ending to a regular Monday episode in which they teased a flash-forward of a Christmas murder.

In the shocking scenes, Denise (Diane Parish), Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), Linda (Kellie Bright), Sharon (Letitia Dean), Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Suki (Balvinder Sopal) were seen surrounding a dead body, but the identity of the body and the murderer were kept secret.

While discussing the who-dunnit storyline, she revealed that her character Phil Mitchell would like to see his end come Christmas, but confirmed that the legendary character isn't going anywhere.

She then teased who the potential victims could be, introducing Theo, Nish or Ravi.