We know and love (or sometimes love to hate) their characters on screen, but now it’s time to discover all the behind-the-scenes secrets from our favourite soap stars.

In our exclusive interview, Soap Stars Coming Clean, OK!'s finding out all the juicy gossip about what happens when the cameras stop rolling, as well as the actors’ favourite memories with their co-stars so far.

We recently caught up with EastEnders actress Milly Zero, who plays Dotty Cotton, to chat about joining the iconic soap, her famous school friends, and how she's already started a plan to get Rylan Clark to make a cameo in Albert Square.

What’s your favourite memory on the show so far?

When we were filming the 35th anniversary on a boat on the River Thames. I’d only been there for a few months so it was such an amazing experience being with the whole cast. Because it was night shoots on locations we really got to know each other on a new level, as we were all going back to the hotel and staying up until 5am. And then being taken out on dinghies on the Thames. It was crazy and surreal and a week I’ll never, ever forget.

Have you had a lot of those pinch me moments since joining the show?

Definitely. It took a while to get my head around being on the show. Like most London families, I’d been watching the show since I was a kid. So have my parents and my grandma has also watched it for years, so it took me a while to start calling people by their first names and not their character name. (Laughs)

What do you always have in your dressing room?

My essentials are a blanket, a pillow and an eye mask. I have to get up at 5am because I live on the other side of London and we have to be at work at 7am, so if I get a scene off in the afternoon, the first thing I do is have a little power nap.

Were you a morning person before you started on EastEnders?

Not particularly. It still feels like I’m going to the airport. If I get the train, the only other people that are on it are builders and construction site workers. But at least it makes the most of the day, as at 8am I’ve already shot my first scene in my costume and make-up. Normally I wouldn’t even be out of bed!

Who are you closest to from the cast?

I’m definitely close to my scene partners, like Natalie Cassidy, [who plays Sonia Jackson] and Brian Conley [who plays Rocky Cotton]. They’re like family to me. But I’m also really close to the younger members of the cast, too. My best friend in the show is Shiv Jalota [who plays Vinny Panesar]. We’re so close and are always going to the theatre together, or are on the phone. But I’m friends with everyone, like Maisie Smith [who played Tiffany Butcher], Zack [Morris, who plays Keegan Baker]. We all hang out on the weekends, which is lovely. There’s not a single person I don’t get along with.

Do you miss Maisie since she left Albert Square?

Yeah, it’s really quiet without her. Obviously she had been there for so long that she became part of the furniture, so it’s quite weird without her. I miss her a lot. We have a very similar sense of humour and, out of everyone, we had the most in common. But I know she’s doing really well and she’s got so many opportunities that she wants to pursue.

Who took you under their wing during your first few weeks on set?

Natalie is so old school and knows how this game works, so she was such a great person to learn from coming in because she’s managed to stay so humble and hard-working and has no ego about her at all. I couldn’t have picked better people to work with and look up to as a young actor.

Did you know any of the cast beforehand?

Mostly not, but I did know Clay [Milner Russell, who plays Bobby Beale] We went to the BRIT school together. And I also knew Barbra [Smith, who plays Dana Monroe] through the acting scene as well.

Who’s your funniest co-star?

Brian is such a laugh. He’s the comedy king. He’s not just great at comedy on stage and on the telly, he’s like that in real life. He’s 60 now but he’s literally like a big kid. He’s always bouncing off the walls and will always come back with a witty one-liner. He always has the whole crew laughing. He definitely puts a smile on my face.

What’s the best night out you’ve ever had with your co-stars?

My favourite was when Boris Johnson released the lockdown measures. Me and the rest of the young cast said, “Right guys, it’s been two years now and we haven’t had a night out.” We all met up and the sun was shining so we went to a rooftop bar and to a restaurant. We had some drinks and stayed out late and it was so much fun.

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Which celebrity would you love to see doing a guest role?

Rylan Clark would be so funny. Natalie and him are like best friends and they’re always writing sketch shows together, so I think we should bring him in for a little cameo with Natalie Cassidy! He could come in as a character that’s similar to himself, he could be Sonia’s new gay best friend. If not Rylan, Gemma Collins. I love that kind of humour and old school Big Brother so anyone like that.

If Dotty could have a romance with anyone in Walford, who would you like it to be?

With the Square as it is, there isn’t really anybody. She’s kind of with Vinny at the moment and she doesn’t really like him, and all the other younger boys didn’t work, either. They need to bring in a new bad boy.

If you could play another character in Albert Square, who would you choose?

I would love to play Dana because she’s so different from Dotty. She’s so soft, vulnerable at times and goes with what her family thinks. I’m so used to playing Dotty who takes no rubbish and I am so used to playing that that I’ve almost forgotten that there are other qualities that I could explore. So it would be interesting to play the total opposite to Dotty.

What’s the strangest or funniest fan encounter you’ve ever had?

About two years ago when I hadn’t been in the show for very long, I went to Majorca. It was very quiet with lots of German tourists. Then I was sitting in a bar and there were these two Scouse women. They said, “Oh my God, we love EastEnders! I can’t believe you’re here.” We had some pictures and said goodbye. The next day we were on our way to the airport and the same woman was on the shuttle. She was asking me all these questions like, “What’s it like to work with Phil Mitchell?!” It was funny getting recognised abroad as you don’t expect it to happen.

Do you get recognised a lot now?

From what I hear about back in the day on the show, they couldn’t even leave the house. But now I can get on with my day but it does happen quite a lot. It happens the more you’re on TV. When I had my big Christmas storyline, I went to Winter Wonderland in London and I was wearing black clothing so I looked quite like Dotty. Honestly, I was mobbed! But usually I dress very differently to Dotty, I’m much more girly, so sometimes I can go a few days without anyone noticing me.

Was there ever a plan b when it came to acting?

During school assemblies I was always the loudest at the front. And when I listen to home videos I wouldn’t shut up – my poor big sister couldn’t get a word in edgeways! So from the age of about nine, I said, “Mum, I want to do acting.” Then I played Annie in the school show and from then I knew I absolutely loved it and it was all I could think about. Even at the age of twelve I was looking up agents and going to casting calls. My mum wasn’t one of those ‘Momagers,’ I did it all myself. So there really wasn’t ever a plan b.

Who else were you at the BRIT school with?

The BRIT school is an amazing place. It’s like High School Musical or something, as you go there and there are kids dancing in the corridors. There have been so many people that have gone on to do great things. Raye, the singer, was in the year above me, and Tom Holland, who is Spiderman now, was only a few years above me.

It’s not unheard of for actors to swap soaps. If you weren’t in EastEnders, what soap would you like to be in?

I auditioned for Hollyoaks once. It was years ago when I was about 18. I didn’t get it but I think everything happens for a reason. I feel like EastEnders was the soap I was always meant to be in. My mum actually said to me that from the age of five, people would say, “That girl’s going to be in EastEnders one day.” So I couldn’t have asked for a better role in a better place. If I leave EastEnders for any reason then I’ll explore other genres – I want to do drama, comedy and theatre – but I don’t want to do another soap. EastEnders is the only soap I’m interested in being in.

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