Ali Bastian is thankful her 'Hollyoaks' character was killed off as it kept her "moving forward".

Ali Bastian and Chris Fountain

Ali Bastian and Chris Fountain

The 38-year-old actress rose to fame on the Channel 4 soap in 2001 as Becca Dean, but left in 2007 following a controversial storyline in which she was fired from her teaching job and sent to prison for having an affair with her student Justin Burton (Chris Fountain).

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, she said: "On a personal level, I had six years on the show, an amazing six years, and I was really really ready to take a leap of faith.

"I'd made this decision to move on, and it was a really difficult decision to make, and then when I found out that she was going to end in that way and that she was going to die, I suppose part of me was like, 'Oh crikey! There's no way back!'"

Ali soon realised she made the right decision as she was quickly snapped up for ITV's 'The Bill', in which she played PC Sally Armstrong for two years.

She continued: "For me as a person, it's really interesting when a door closes in that way as you know you're not going to be able to pop in that show in a few year's time. It's a bit nerve-wracking, but at the same time, I think it probably kept me moving forward.

"Luckily, I was able to go on to other projects straight away, I went straight onto 'The Bill', so I think in some ways for me as a person, it was quite positive."

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