Danny Dyer breathed his last as Mick Carter’s character in EastEnders’ explosive Christmas Day special.
The character was killed off in soap opera style while trying to save the life of his ex-wife Linda after she and Janine Butcher plunged off a cliff into the English Channel.
His heroic act came after Mick learned the truth about his wife Janine’s recent scandal and confessed his love for Linda, before dramatically leaving the show in a scathing finale.
Mick’s death occurred when he, Janine and Linda went head-to-head in an explosive finale at White Cliffs Of Dover, after learning that Janine was responsible for the car accident Linda took the blame for in earlier episodes.
In a dramatic car chase, Janine attempted to escape her husband and ex-wife as they tried to make her pay for their crimes, and she sped away.
But not letting her get away, Linda jumped into the passenger seat and wrestled Janine over the wheel, causing them to lose control of the car and plunge over the side of a cliff into the English Channel.
Behind was Mick, who got out of his car and jumped into the water to rescue them after realizing what had happened.
The duo submerged in water and got trapped in Janine’s car, before
Christmas dinner took a quick turn when Janine’s daughter, Scarlett, opened up about the car accident and exposed her mother as the culprit.
‘She’s lying, she was driving your car when she crashed. she came to pick you up [Linda] until. Linda, you called the victim and talked to mom,” the young man exclaimed.
While Janine tried to ignore the truth by stating that her daughter “isn’t well”, she couldn’t keep up with her own lies.
Starting to piece things together, Mick demanded to know if Janine was in the car with Linda when it crashed, before finding out that she was, in fact, the one driving.
Turning to Janine, Linda asked, ‘Did you change me? When they found me, I was in the driver’s seat. She must have put me there to make it look like it was me.
He then jumped on Janine to attack when things took a violent turn, leaving Mick in shock as he processed the situation.
After the dramatic dinner, Mick had a private chat with Linda and confessed his love for her despite being married to Janine.
Turning to his ex-wife, he admitted: ‘It’s you, it’s always been you. I’ve known it all along, I just couldn’t face it. Every day I’ve tried to convince myself that I loved Janine, but it’s you. I have loved you all along. And now I’m married to her, please forgive me.
Thrilled with the news, Linda replied: “Of course I forgive you, this is not your fault, I love you.”
Mick asked if he and Linda could try again, and the latter replied, “Yeah, that’s all I ever wanted, you’re the love of my life, no one else has ever come close, no one.”
Sharing a kiss, the couple agreed: “We’re never going to be apart again.”
Returning to the reality of the sweet moment, it was time for Mick to tell Janine that his marriage was over and he decided to make her pay for her actions.
Heading to his bedroom, Mick said to Janine: ‘You lied to me. to me, your husband. Do you really think I want to be with you now? I was going to leave everything for you and for what? I don’t love you, I never loved you, I want you out of my sight. You disgust me.’
Tossing her a holdall, the owner insisted she pack her things when Linda called the police, and Mick told Janine: ‘You’re going to jail, you know what I mean? You have made your bed and now you are going to lie in it.
Janine then left with her passport to escape, while Mick and Linda set off to chase her.
Driving down a narrow road alongside Janine, Mick tried to convince her to turn the car around before both cars came to a stop at a dead end.
“It’s over, get out of the car,” he told his wife as Linda called police from the remote location.
Janine hits Mick over the head as he falls to the ground before getting in her car and driving away, with Linda jumping into the passenger seat to try to stop her.
The pair struggle for the wheel as Janine tries to drive away, losing control of the car as the entire vehicle topples over the edge of the cliff and into the sea.
Underwater, Janine and Linda are trapped in the car and submerged in the water as they struggle to get out, before Mick discovers that they have fallen and jumps in to save them.
Diving in, he manages to open the car and pull Janine out of the car, saving her as he swims up and brings her ashore.
But going back to look for Linda, Mick jumps in to save her, unaware that she already made it out of the water on her own.
Linda joins Janine ashore and looks for Mick, screaming for him before breaking down in tears as he is nowhere to be seen.