Tilly Keeper wants to stay on EastEnders for a 'long time'

EastEnders\' Tilly Keeper wants to stay on the soap "for as long" as she can.

The 20-year-old actress joined the long-running soap as school girl Louise Mitchell almost two years ago and, although her close friend Harry Reid - who plays her on-screen brother Ben Mitchell - is set to leave the show this year, she hopes that his departure doesn\'t spell the end for her character as she really loves her role.

Speaking to The Sun Online, the blonde beauty said: "I am going to miss Harry so much. He is like my big brother. He is an amazing actor and I wish him all the best.

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"I want to stay at \'EastEnders\' for as long as I can. As long as they\'re happy and they want me I will stay. I don\'t know what is going on but I really want to stay."

Over the past two years, Tilly has been dished out some of the most harrowing storylines to feature on the programme in recent years - including, most recently, being set on fire by her school bullies and being left with some horrific burn scars.

She explained: "I love being challenged as an actress so the fire scenes were amazing, I took the opportunity with both hands. It was such a nice environment, I was working with my best friends.

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"I was really nervous when they told me they were going to set me on fire but I knew it would be an amazing storyline and I knew it would look incredible on screen.

"Any teenage girls have their body issues and to then have something traumatic happen, and for it to scar you for life, is a huge thing to deal with."

And Tilly has teased that body confidence will be something her character battles with on and off over the next coming months and, maybe, even years.

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She added: "Louise isn\'t dealing with it very well, at first she\'s stuck away from everyone. She\'s hiding away. But as she starts to grow up she begins to embrace the scars. She is still beautiful but with age, she does deal with it better!

"Louise has so much thrown at her. I\'ve seen her called Louise \'nine life\' Mitchell and I love it. I\'ve had five huge stunts since I\'ve been there and it\'s been amazing."