EastEnders icon Charlie Brooks might be back in Albert Square soon, as she has teased that her character Janine Butcher may return to the soap after four years away13:27, 06 Jul 2026Charlie Brooks has teased that she might be back on EastEnders soon, as Janine Butcher's prison release date nears. It's been four years since the character, one of the soap's most iconic villains, was last seen in Walford.Charlie, 45, was last on EastEnders in December 2022, as Janine has been in prison since then. But in a chat with Richard Arnold on Good Morning Britain, it was mentioned that Janine is due to be released in a year.Host Susanna Reid said: "OK! Out in about a year... sounds like Richard knows about the future script!" To which, he cryptically replied that Janine could be released "earlier" and "you never know" with EastEnders.Charlie then coyly added that fans would "have to see" what happens. When Susanna asked if a return was on the cards, Charlie said: "I get asked this question all the time, I love Janine, I love playing her she’s a wonderful character, I always get blessed with such great storylines."So who knows? It's always a home away from home at EastEnders."She added that Janine is good at finding "her way out of these situations", even though she "should have a proper comeuppance". Janine has been on the show since 1999 and had plenty of villainous moments over the years.The character, who has previously been described as a "classic villainess" and "super-b****", killed her first husband Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson). She pushed him off a cliff when she realised that he wasn't dying of an illness like she thought he was.She also pretended to be Jewish to get a wealthy pensioner to marry her, who subsequently died of a heart attack when he found out she wasn't who she said she was.Janine killed Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace) in a car accident and then teamed up with Danielle's grandfather Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) to defraud the rest of the Mitchells out of owning the Vic.During a huge feud with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), she tried to frame Stacey for murder and attempted to kill her lover Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott). She later murdered her fourth husband Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd).Her latest prison stint comes after she indirectly caused a car holding herself and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) to crash. The crash resulted in the death of her fifth husband Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), who had gone into the ocean to save both Janine and Linda's lives.During one of her stints away from EastEnders Charlie took part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. Her 2012 participation saw her win the show and be crowned Queen of the Jungle. She also won the 2011 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.