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EastEnders’ Molly Rainford devastated over family tragedy
Molly Rainford opens up about remembering her nan at Christmas, supporting carers alongside Marie Curie and waving goodbye to EastEnders
Christmas is just around the corner – and, as traditional as twinkly lights and stockings hung on the fireplace, the EastEnders Christmas special is being teased to excited fans. But for one of its stars, Molly Rainford, the most wonderful time of the year will also bring sadness this festive season.
For the Rainfords, Christmas has always been about family, as 25 December also happened to be Molly’s beloved grandmother Christine’s birthday. As well as turkey and all the trimmings, they’d bring out the birthday cake and make it all about her – until Christine sadly died of pancreatic cancer, aged 77, in the summer of 2024… and everything changed.
READ MORE: EastEnders actress reveals real reason for quitting BBC soap ‘it was really bittersweet’READ MORE: Molly Rainford breaks silence on EastEnders exit but drops huge hint
“I do feel very lucky because I had both sets of grandparents up until last year,” Molly, 25, tells new. “My nan’s birthday was at Christmas so… yeah, it’s a strange time of year for me now. We had our first Christmas without her last year, and it’s still a weird time.”
As Molly explains, she’s incorporating elements of her beloved nan into the festivities to remember her by. “One sweet thing my nan always loved was having those nutcracker men in her house – but all year round! So I’m making sure I have something like that as part of my festive decorations now, to remind me of her,” says Molly.
The actress is also giving back this holiday season, by helping a charity close to her heart – Marie Curie, which has launched a campaign entitled End of Life Salon, providing nail and hair treatments to end-of-life carers who are giving palliative care to loved ones.
Molly told us she loves the idea of giving these special people, who are often living through heartbreaking situations, an opportunity to relax and have some time for themselves.
“My nan didn’t get to a point where she was in hospital. She didn’t have a minute to go into hospice and be looked after,” Molly explains, sadly. “I think that’s why the End of Life Salon resonates with me so much – I feel like, if Nan had got to that place, it would have been really helpful for my mum.”
She adds, “I love the idea of giving the carers an opportunity to have time for themselves and just have a bit of a reflection. It’s such a tough, tough job they have to do. They have to take on everyone else’s emotions, grief, all of that stuff. So this is just a chance to take that pressure off for a minute.”
Molly’s mum Sarah, and her aunts, became her grandmother’s main carers in her final weeks. “Seeing my mum go through that was an intense emotional journey for me,” she says. The actress and her mother almost experienced a role reversal in their relationship, she reflects, saying, “I had to step in and be the strong one.”
The whole experience led her to a profound realisation. “It reminds you that your grandparents and parents aren’t immortal,” she says. “They’re not just going to live forever.”
Before she died, Molly’s nan was a big fan of everything her granddaughter was doing. One career move Christine was particularly excited about was Molly’s stint on Richard Osman’s House Of Games, which she went on to win. “It was nice to win something!” Molly laughs.
But the star also came tantalisingly close to bringing home the Strictly Come Dancing Glitterball – reaching the final with her professional partner Carlos Gu in 2022, and finishing as runner-up.
She’s been enjoying this year’s Strictly, she tells us. Not only did she go far herself on the show, it’s also where she met her fiancé, Tyler West, so it will always hold a special place in her heart. We’ve recently seen the couple travelling across Central America in the BBC’s Celebrity Race Across The World.
Of course, Molly’s rooting for her former dance partner Carlos and his current celebrity partner, Karen Carney – but she admits she was disappointed when another couple left the show.
“I was gutted about Vicky Pattison because I really thought she was going to smash it and win the final,” she says. “She’s so amazing and such a lovely lady. And Kai Widdrington – well, he’s one of my best friends.”
She also came to the defence of former Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, who has come under fire since joining the dance show due to his prior dance ‘experience’ – which the star has argued was minimal, and a totally different style to what he’s learning on Strictly.
“I know people say things about some contestants having more previous experience, but I think that’s what makes the show so cool,” says Molly. “You see people with different abilities, and that’s what makes it so entertaining. You can see the progress in everyone, which is something I love.”
Next year’s series will be very different, as long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be gone. Molly admits she’s “sad” at their imminent departure.
“Because they’re part of the family, you know?” she says. “I’m really sad. I do think Anton Du Beke would make a good replacement, though!”
Tess and Claudia aren’t the only ones making dramatic exits this year. Molly, who has been playing EastEnders’ Anna Knight for two years, is set to leave the BBC soap, with her final scenes airing at Christmas.
On leaving EastEnders, she says, “I learned how to be a professional by being around so many amazing actors all day long. I want to use those skills and do something new.
“What’s so amazing about EastEnders is that you get to do what you love every day. I feel like I’m blessed that I was part of it. Hopefully, the door’s still open for me to go back. But, yeah, I just want to get out there and experience more.”
For more information about caring for a loved one, visit mariecurie.org.uk/support or call the Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309
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England edge past Ireland for first hockey Pro League win
Ireland fell to a 2-1 defeat by England in their final FIH Pro League game of the first section of matches.
Goals from Tess Howard and Holly Hunt gave England a 2-0 lead, but they had to see out a strong finish from the home side as Caoimhe Perdue scored from a penalty corner to close the gap.
England held out for their first win in the competition this season.
England hold on despite Irish fightback
It was an open and end-to-end game from the start with both sides desperate for a first Pro League victory of the campaign.
It was England who took the lead in the fourth minute. After good work down the right-hand side from Katie Curtis, her ball into the circle was deflected high into the Irish net by Howard.
The visitors thought they had a second goal before half-time from a penalty corner, but a referral to the third umpire showed the ball was trapped inside the circle.
England controlled the game after the interval, forcing Ireland to work hard to win possession and when they did, they gave it up cheaply.
The second England goal came in the opening stages of the final quarter as Hunt stepped into the circle and fired an unstoppable shot off the post and into the net.
Not for the first time this week, Ireland then began playing their best hockey when two goals down and with eight minutes remaining, they scored to make it a grandstand finish.
Perdue’s strong drag flick from a penalty corner was too much for England goalkeeper Sabbie Heesh to handle.
It led to an uncomfortable last few minutes as Ireland pushed for an equaliser, but England held on for a deserved victory.
“Probably disappointed with the result in the end today, but over the course of the week really happy with the performances and one of the things we’ve talked about a lot was consistency and I think we had that over the four games against teams ranked much higher than us,” said Irish coach Gareth Grundie.
“We were in each game getting into the final minutes so that will certainly give us a lot of confidence going forward and obviously the result against England on Thursday was points on the board and we’ll take that confidence going to Australia in February.”
Ireland face a big six months with the next round of the Pro League in Hobart at the start of February and the World Cup qualifiers in Chile at the end of the same month.
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Kumar seals first Indian win at World Championship
Nitin Kumar created history by becoming the first Indian player to win a match at the PDC Darts World Championship with a sensational victory over Dutchman Richard Veenstra.
The 40-year-old had lost in all four of his previous first-round encounters at the Alexandra Palace, but his 3-2 win puts him in the last 64 of the competition.
Kumar’s scoring was inferior to that of Veenstra’s, but it was his finishing that proved crucial, boasting a 75% checkout success and hitting all his last seven doubles.
“I don’t know what to say right now. I’m overwhelmed, I’m happy,” said Kumar, who is nicknamed ‘The Royal Bengal’.
“If you dream it, anything is possible. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship (in 1994).”
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Veenstra hit five 100-plus finishes, with his highest coming at 144. Kumar was not as flamboyant with his scoring, but proved to be incredibly consistent as the Alexandra Palace crowd roared him on.
Three-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant said on Sky Sports: “It was one of the greatest games I have ever commentated on.
“It’s not just the quality of the match, it’s the impact for Nitin Kumar and what it does for Indian darts.”
Earlier world number 27 Ritchie Edhouse was knocked out by debutant Jonny Tata.
Former European champion Edhouse was stunned 3-0 by the New Zealander, to taste defeat at this stage for the fourth time in a row.
But the same fate did not follow fellow seed Joe Cullen after he eased past Bradley Brooks with a 3-0 win.
The world number 32 was in fine form to produce his second-highest average on the world stage with 99.33.
Sunday’s results
Afternoon session
Ritchie Edhouse (27) 0-3 Jonny Tata
Dom Taylor 3-0 Oskar Lukasiak
Richard Veenstra 2-3 Nitin Kumar
Sunday evening schedule
From 19:00 GMT
Lukas Wenig v Wesley Plaisier
Dimitri van den Bergh (23) v Darren Beveridge
Stephen Bunting (4) v Sebastian Bialecki
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Bolt message for Shaw as four-goal haul takes her past 100 mark
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If Khadija Shaw had not already confirmed her status as one of the world’s best players, she surely did on Sunday.
The Manchester City striker netted four goals in their ruthless 6-1 win over Aston Villa, ensuring they will end the year with a six-point lead at the top of the WSL.
In the process, Shaw notched her 100th goal for the club – the first female player in the professional era to reach a century for City in all competitions.
She was feted at full-time by supporters, staff and team-mates as the Jamaican international gave a nod to the victims of Hurricane Melissa in her post-match interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, which killed at least 28 people in her home country.
“Coming into this game, I knew that if I scored it would have been a really good milestone for me,” an emotional Shaw told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The beginning of the year was a bit challenging. Even a couple of weeks ago with what happened back home [in Jamaica], mentally, it was tough.
Talks to extend Shaw contract
Shaw’s achievement is nothing short of remarkable given she reached the landmark in just 120 games in all competitions.
In her past four WSL matches, she has picked up eight goals and two assists, and has a 1.11 goals-per-game rate this season in the league.
The 28-year-old leads the WSL top-scorers chart by seven goals, with her nearest competitors on five goals each, and Shaw has netted as many as Liverpool have in total this season.
“Scoring goals for fun, best centre-forward in the land,” are the words that make up City fans’ song about her, often chanted in adoration of their number nine.
They stayed behind at Joie Stadium on Sunday to show their appreciation, giving her a standing ovation as the club congratulated her formally at full-time.
A video was played on the big screens – a compilation of messages from sporting stars including legendary Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt – who also shared a message on X later on Sunday – ex-England striker Ian Wright and former Manchester City favourites Steph Houghton and Jill Scott.
“Manchester is my home,” Shaw said in the microphone, prompting a huge roar from fans and manager Andree Jeglertz confirmed afterwards the club are in discussions with her over a potential new deal with her current contract ending in July 2026.
“It’s amazing. I’m so happy for her of course, but also for this club, to have her in this environment and in our team. She is affecting things,” added Jeglertz.
“She has a big role but is also a great team-mate. She knows it’s not just about her scoring goals. The assists have to come from somebody.
“She is working every day to become a little bit better and that is the most important thing in this job – that she is never satisfied.
‘She’s got all the attributes you want’
There was very little Villa could do on the day to stop Shaw and manager Natalia Arroyo admitted afterwards the Jamaican striker was a “nightmare” to play against.
Shaw had 13 touches in the opposition box and five shots on target – scoring four of them and hitting the post with an audacious curling effort in the second half.
Even in defeat, Arroyo admitted she was “privileged” to face such a challenge.
“She is the best striker in the league probably,” added the Villa boss. “The energy you can see from the team is different from last year. All of that is quite visible on her.
“She was a nightmare for us. She knows where to be for the second balls and the first action. We tried to minimise her impact but we couldn’t. She is too good.
“How she is growing and how consistent she is being… she scores a lot of goals. I’m just sad that she’s adding goals to her list against us!
“It’s a privilege for me to be around these challenges and to try to find the best way to minimise her next time as we couldn’t do that today.”
Former England defender Lindsay Johnson described Shaw’s performance as “high class” and praised her versatility.
Her first goal was a first-time strike into the bottom corner from Vivianne Miedema’s cross, before she spun away from Anna Patten to make it 2-0.
The third goal late in the second half was a clinical finish when she burst through one-on-one with goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo and then found herself in the right place at the right time to tap in City’s sixth goal, and her fourth, in stoppage time.
“It’s so difficult because you can’t get too tight to her as she rolls you. She’s so good at using her body. You’ve got to give yourself some space,” Johnson said on BBC Radio 5 Live commentary.
“She’s got all the attributes you want in a striker. She’s got power, she’s got pace and she’s very clinical.
Related topics
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- Women’s Super League
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Bolt message for Shaw as four-goal haul takes her past 100 mark
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
- 44 Comments
If Khadija Shaw had not already confirmed her status as one of the world’s best players, she surely did on Sunday.
The Manchester City striker netted four goals in their ruthless 6-1 win over Aston Villa, ensuring they will end the year with a six-point lead at the top of the WSL.
In the process, Shaw notched her 100th goal for the club – the first female player in the professional era to reach a century for City in all competitions.
She was feted at full-time by supporters, staff and team-mates as the Jamaican international gave a nod to the victims of Hurricane Melissa in her post-match interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, which killed at least 28 people in her home country.
“Coming into this game, I knew that if I scored it would have been a really good milestone for me,” an emotional Shaw told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The beginning of the year was a bit challenging. Even a couple of weeks ago with what happened back home [in Jamaica], mentally, it was tough.
Talks to extend Shaw contract
Shaw’s achievement is nothing short of remarkable given she reached the landmark in just 120 games in all competitions.
In her past four WSL matches, she has picked up eight goals and two assists, and has a 1.11 goals-per-game rate this season in the league.
The 28-year-old leads the WSL top-scorers chart by seven goals, with her nearest competitors on five goals each, and Shaw has netted as many as Liverpool have in total this season.
“Scoring goals for fun, best centre-forward in the land,” are the words that make up City fans’ song about her, often chanted in adoration of their number nine.
They stayed behind at Joie Stadium on Sunday to show their appreciation, giving her a standing ovation as the club congratulated her formally at full-time.
A video was played on the big screens – a compilation of messages from sporting stars including legendary Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt – who also shared a message on X later on Sunday – ex-England striker Ian Wright and former Manchester City favourites Steph Houghton and Jill Scott.
“Manchester is my home,” Shaw said in the microphone, prompting a huge roar from fans and manager Andree Jeglertz confirmed afterwards the club are in discussions with her over a potential new deal with her current contract ending in July 2026.
“It’s amazing. I’m so happy for her of course, but also for this club, to have her in this environment and in our team. She is affecting things,” added Jeglertz.
“She has a big role but is also a great team-mate. She knows it’s not just about her scoring goals. The assists have to come from somebody.
“She is working every day to become a little bit better and that is the most important thing in this job – that she is never satisfied.
‘She’s got all the attributes you want’
There was very little Villa could do on the day to stop Shaw and manager Natalia Arroyo admitted afterwards the Jamaican striker was a “nightmare” to play against.
Shaw had 13 touches in the opposition box and five shots on target – scoring four of them and hitting the post with an audacious curling effort in the second half.
Even in defeat, Arroyo admitted she was “privileged” to face such a challenge.
“She is the best striker in the league probably,” added the Villa boss. “The energy you can see from the team is different from last year. All of that is quite visible on her.
“She was a nightmare for us. She knows where to be for the second balls and the first action. We tried to minimise her impact but we couldn’t. She is too good.
“How she is growing and how consistent she is being… she scores a lot of goals. I’m just sad that she’s adding goals to her list against us!
“It’s a privilege for me to be around these challenges and to try to find the best way to minimise her next time as we couldn’t do that today.”
Former England defender Lindsay Johnson described Shaw’s performance as “high class” and praised her versatility.
Her first goal was a first-time strike into the bottom corner from Vivianne Miedema’s cross, before she spun away from Anna Patten to make it 2-0.
The third goal late in the second half was a clinical finish when she burst through one-on-one with goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo and then found herself in the right place at the right time to tap in City’s sixth goal, and her fourth, in stoppage time.
“It’s so difficult because you can’t get too tight to her as she rolls you. She’s so good at using her body. You’ve got to give yourself some space,” Johnson said on BBC Radio 5 Live commentary.
“She’s got all the attributes you want in a striker. She’s got power, she’s got pace and she’s very clinical.
Related topics
- Football
- Women’s Super League
- Women’s Football