What happened to Kevin Wicks in EastEnders? And how did Phil Daniels' character die?

9 July 2020, 19:06 | Updated: 9 July 2020, 19:11

Why did Phil Daniels leave EastEnders? And what happened to Kevin Wicks? Here's what we know...

EastEnders’ Phil Daniels is currently competing on this year’s Celebrity Masterchef, trying to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

But while he has made it through to the next round of the show, his character Kevin Wicks didn’t make it out of Walford alive.

So what happened to Kevin Wicks, and how did Phil Daniels’ character die? Here’s what we know…

How did Kevin Wicks die in EastEnders?

Kevin Wicks joined EastEnders back in 2006 with his two children Carly (Kellie Shirley) and Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo).

As well as being Shirley Carter’s (Linda Henry) ex husband, he was best known for being a wheeler dealer at the local Car Lot.

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Kevin also had a love affair with Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and the pair even got married on the soap.

Unfortunately, things started to unravel for Kevin when he became involved with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).

After Phil forced Kevin to sell his stolen motors at the Car Lot which they later found out were extremely dangerous.

The men managed to crush two of the dodgy vehicles but unknowingly, Denise sold the third to Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter).

In a bid to get rid of the car and keep Yolande safe, Kevin planned to steal the car and pretend it had been taken by joyriders, before setting it alight.

But after Shirley caught him in the act, he took her along and the pair bonded as they drove around in circles at high speed.

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When Kevin suddenly lost control, the spun into the air and crashed into a pile of metal waste.

While Shirley was left with a few bumps and scratches, Kevin was killed when a large metal pole went through his stomach.

He tragically died in 2008 while lying in Shirley's arms, before Denise found them and kissed her dead husband.

Why did Phil Daniels leave EastEnders?

Phil previously admitted he had always planned to leave the soap after two years.

He said at the timeL "EastEnders has been an absolute pleasure, but it was always my intention, after two years in the job, to move on and do other things.

"I'd like to thank all on the Square for making my stay such fun."

Since his role on EastEnders, Phil has been part of many successful shows such as Endeavour, Sliced, Call the Midwife, and The Mallorca Files.

He also has roles in upcoming dramas I Hate Suzie on Sky Atlantic and Adult Material on Channel 4.

Away from acting, Phil appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2008, but was knocked out in the first round.

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