A bleary-eyed Danielle Harold celebrated in style after her double win at the Inside Soap Awards in London on Monday.
Keen to keep the night going, the former EastEnders actress, 31, emerged from the Salsa Temple after the ceremony with a glass of champagne in hand.
A jubilant Danielle looked a little worse for wear as she quaffed the sparkling wine in the street after winning the Best Actress gong for her portrayal of Lola Pearce.
Danielle’s character Lola died in emotional scenes after sadly losing her battle with terminal brain cancer earlier this year.
The heartbreaking death, which was dubbed the ‘saddest ever’ exit by fans, also saw the soap win the Best Storyline award.
Animated display: A bleary-eyed Danielle Harold celebrated in style after her double win at the Inside Soap Awards in London on Monday
Celebrations: Keen to keep the night going, the former EastEnders actress, 31, emerged from the Salsa Temple with a glass of champagne in hand
Danielle looked on cloud nine as she put on an animated display with her friends.
The actress cut a glamorous figure in a white pearl embossed suit which she teamed with a dazzling silver clutch, red lipstick and sparkly earrings.
EastEnders dominated at the 2023 Inside Soap Awards as it was named Best Soap for the second year running.
The BBC drama scooped up a total of six gongs at the annual ceremony, beating its fellow soap operas Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Casualty and Doctors.
The soap’s tragic Lola Pearce cancer storyline was also widely recognised at the ceremony, with star Danielle Harold taking home the Best Actress prize.
The actress beat a host of esteemed names to the award, including the likes of Coronation Street’s Charlotte Jordan and Maureen Lipman, Hollyoaks’ Jennifer Metcalfe and Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins.
Danielle also beat her co-stars Diane Parish, (Denise Fox) and Shona McGarty (Whitney Dean), to take home the esteemed award.
The storyline was further lauded at Monday’s ceremony as it also scooped up the Best Storyline gong in another huge victory.
Hard hitting: Danielle’s character Lola died in emotional scenes after sadly losing her battle with terminal brain cancer earlier this year and the storyline received a number of awards
Partying the night away: A jubilant Danielle looked a little worse for wear as she quaffed the sparkling wine after winning the Best Actress gong for her portrayal of Lola Pearce.
Party-time! Danielle looked on cloud nine as she put on an animated display with her friends outside the ceremony
Cheers! The actress celebrated her win with a glass of champagne
Success: Danielle was keen to party the night away after EastEnders dominated the awards
Over the moon: She hugged her friends at one point
Worse for wear: Danielle put on an animated display as she chatted to people outside with Jamie
Showing it off: Danielle proudly showed off her Best Actress gong as she left the venue with her co-star Clair Norris
In another success, Jamie Borthwick, who portrays Lola’s widower Jay Brown, took home the sought-after Best Actor prize.
He was up against the likes of Coronation Street’s David Neilson and Ryan Prescott, as well as Emmerdale’s Dominic Brunt, Jeff Hordley and Kevin Mathurin.
Also nominated in the category were Hollyoaks ‘ Gregory Finnegan and Jamie Lomas, as well as Jamie’s EastEnders’ co-stars Perry Fenwick and James Farrar.
Isabella Brown, who plays Lola’s daughter Lexi Pearce, won Best Young Performer, marking out another win for EastEnders – which took home a total of six gongs out of the 15 different categories.
Max Bowden, who is Lexi’s father Ben Mitchell and missed Lola’s final moments in emotional scenes, was also awarded Soap Superstar Of The Year for ‘a performance that [went] above and beyond the call of duty’.
Inside Soap editor, Gary Gillatt, said: ‘The beautifully played story of young mum Lola’s cancer diagnosis, and her final few life-affirming months, captivated Inside Soap readers this year, and won out against powerful work from all the other shows. And the Best Soap win is well-deserved. It’s been a golden year for EastEnders – a true renaissance.’
Shona McGarty was also up for Best Actress for her portrayal of Whitney Dean in EastEnders, and it will likely mark her last appearance at the event after it was announced last month she was leaving the BBC soap after 15 years.
Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, the actress said: ‘It wasn’t an easy decision because I’ve made so many friends.
‘So, I’m going to be sad to say goodbye to my friends and family, but it was right decision for me as I want to do other things.
‘After 15 years, I’ve had a pretty good run.’
Walk this way: The actress cut a glamorous figure in a white pearl embossed suit which she teamed with a dazzling silver clutch, red lipstick and sparkly earrings
Dressed to the nines: The soap star teased a hint of her tanned and toned stomach in a plunging white bralet as she emerged from the ceremony with co-star Jamie Borthwick
