So Christmas Day has come and gone, and with it we say goodbye to one of the most loved soap stars of a generation or two. Ladies and gentleman, please stand for Pauline Fowler - Deceased.

Wendy Richard who played Pauline has been the matriarch of Albert Square since EastEnders started in 1985 and has been involved in some of the programme's most memorable storylines. Read on for a look at the life of the sour faced laundrette worker...

Pauline was the alpha-female and stalwart of The Square and famously, she was fiercely loyal to her family... sometimes a bit too much... in fact, you might say she is overbearing with her flesh and blood. However, it's with her family that Pauline was involved in many famous and infamous storylines. Early on, one script saw Pauline giving birth at the age of 41 to her son Martin and coping with the breakdown of her husband Arthur. Being quite young, the only thing I can recall from the breakdown storyline was Arthur in his potting shed hitting two stones together until his hands bled and crying a lot. I thought it seemed a bit silly, but for a more mature mind, it was probably all a bit upsetting.

Pauline's character has changed dramatically from her early days in the show. Instead of being the jolly, warm character she once was, she is now a stone faced battleaxe, hardened by a life of misery in Albert Square... or as it's known in the North... she's had a hard paper round. Arthur's infidelity could be the source of her sour chops. Arthur and Pauline were seen as the most stable couple in the world, and when the storyline involving Arthur's bit on the side broke, it came as a huge shock to viewers. In fact, the British press labelled the storyline "The Bonk Of The Year". This particular storyline had a great TV moment when Arthur confessed of his affair to Pauline and she promptly belted him with a frying pan!

Of course, 'My Arthur' then passed away, and Pauline's was in mourning forever more. If life wasn't hard enough for her, she also faced her son's fatal battle with HIV, her daughter-in-law running off with a lesbian, the death of various pals, another son going to prison, her daughter getting pregnant to Dirty Den, getting run over by Ricky Butcher, accidentally setting her house on fire, her brother passing away... and the list goes on and on. Most recently, Pauline's biggest story was that of her brain tumour.

Pauline was unhappy (surprise surprise!) with her son's reuniting with Sonia (who ran off with another woman) and to win her son back, she pretended to have a brain tumour. This news devastated Martin and Joe (her newest fella) and had the desired effect as Martin decided to call off his relationship with Sonia in order to put his mother's wishes first and devote himself to caring for her. When all and sundry found out she was telling huge lies, she became about as popular as Ian Beale and Dirty Den rolled into one. Amongst the daggers, her newest hubby Joe tried to help her out... and guess what? She went mental. She informed Joe that he was half the man that Arthur had been and that she had never really loved him and that their sex life was a sham. She then removed her wedding ring and told him the marriage was over. In an attempt to stand up to the boss of Albert Square, Joe pointed out that the perfect marriage with Arthur she had constructed in her head, was nothing but a fantasy. He then picked up the pictures of her precious children and first husband that lay around her living room and brandished Mark "diseased", Michelle a "slapper" and Arthur an "con" before chucking them across the room! Pauline retaliated in the way she knows best... by smashing a plate over his head (a bit nicer than a frying pan admittedly).

After all this great excitement and moaning, Wendy Richard announced that she was to leave the show after nearly twenty-two years of service. Her decision to leave was made when the producers of EastEnders revealed that Pauline was to re-marry. Wendy thought it would be "disloyal" of Pauline to her beloved first husband Arthur, played by Bill Treacher. Pauline married Joe in February 2006 and Wendy has since commented: "I think it’s the most terrible shame, I really do. I thought in my heart of hearts it was wrong."

So with that, Pauline was bumped off at Christmas... the usual time for a sad Eastenders storyline. Even though she was permanently scowling in recent years, a huge part of British soap has disappeared for good. So when the New Year rolls in, you should make a toast to Pauline... and be grateful that your life is far far easier than hers. She suffered so you didn't have to. [Mof Gimmers]