Patsy Palmer became a household name on our screens as feisty redhead Bianca Jackson in EastEnders, but has come a long way since making her debut on the BBC show.

The BBC soap propelled her to stardom at the tender age of 21, with 22 million viewers tuning in to watch her marry Ricky in 1997. 

After Bianca left Walford, the public loved the couple so much the pair landed their own spin-off show ‘EastEnders: Ricky and Bianca’, which aired in 2002.

Patsy went on to reprise her role as Bianca in 2007, before leaving again in 2014, and coming back in 2023.

Since then, the actress, 52, has turned her attention to her career as a DJ, often travelling to Los Angeles, where she has performed at local venue Sunset at EDITION.

She moved to Malibu in 2014 along with director husband Richard Merkell and her four children, however she is currently in London for work.

Patsy Palmer became a household name on our screens as feisty redhead Bianca Jackson in EastEnders, but has come a long way since making her debut on the BBC show

The actress, 52, moved to Malibu in 2014 along with husband Richard and her four children, however she is currently in London for work

Patsy has also found a new pᴀssion as she launched her new wellness page on Instagram, Good and Proper, in 2022.

According to Idol Networth, Patsy now has an estimated fortune of around £9.3 million from her work as an actress, lifestyle guru and DJ.

Just last year Patsy admitted she would ‘never live in the UK again’ as she lives out her ‘dream life’ in Malibu.

The star – who has now rejoined EastEnders and flies back to the UK to film – said that ‘pinches herself every morning.’

Speaking to DJ Lorcan and DJ YUKI on their podcast Shuffle Skip Repeat on the actress opened up about her life by the ocean.

She said: ‘It’s beautiful we live in our own little bubble, Malibu is it’s own little place, we very much keep ourselves to ourselves and we have a lot of English friends.

‘I pinch myself every morning when I wake up and see the ocean it’s like a dream. But I’ve created that.’

She continued: ‘I don’t think I would live in England again. I would like to experience something else in life but I’m not too sure if I will.

The BBC soap propelled her to stardom at the tender age of 21, with 22 million viewers tuning in to watch her marry Ricky in 1997

Patsy often shares an insight into her life on Instagram, posting stunning pH๏τos of her breathtaking house, complete with uninterrupted ocean views and a pool 

‘I’m very happy and grateful for where I am so I’m not going anywhere fast. I don’t know what that might look like. It just depends on life and where it goes. I just think do what makes you happy.’

It comes after Patsy revealed how devastated she is for her children after their ‘magical’ community in Malibu was destroyed by the Los Angeles wildfires.

She watched on from London – where she is currently working – as the fires ravaged her ‘home city’ last week. She has now revealed that, while her home is still standing, she and her family have been left in shock by the damage caused.

On Tuesday, the actress – who relocated to the US in 2014 – appeared on ITV ‘s Lorraine to talk about the ordeal along with her son Fenton, 22, who has flown to the UK to be with his mother.

Patsy shares three children, Fenton, 22, Emilia, 21, and Bertie, 14, with her ex-cabbie husband Richard and Charley Palmer Rothwell, 30 – her UK-based son with former partner Alfie Rothwell. Her first husband was director Nick Love, who is known for the films Football Factory and The Firm.

Patsy explained that miraculously her home has been spared from the fires, just weeks after another fire destroyed her immediate neighbours’ houses. Patsy explained that the December blaze led to ‘the most grateful Christmas just being in the house’.

‘You know it’s only stuff, but I really love all my bits and pieces. I know it’s nothing compared to human life but for the kids it is their whole world,’ she told Lorraine.

‘For me it was really sad thinking of Bertie, you know that age of 14 when you just start hanging around and all your experiences with your friends. That was sad for me to think that has all been taken away from them.

‘At drop off we see all the groups of kids and we always say ‘isn’t it lovely they get to hang out in these beautiful places?’ It’s sunny, late nights, all of it, it’s just magical and it’s just taken away from them.’

‘And these kids have had it happen a lot to them in the last few years. For them it’s very traumatising.’

On Tuesday, the actress appeared on ITV’s Lorraine to talk about the ordeal along with her son Fenton, 22, who has flown to the UK to be with his mother

Patsy had returned to the UK last Saturday before the fires broke out and said it was hard being so far away as the fires rage (Patsy seen at her Malibu home)

Fenton, who graduated from UCLA last year, told the show that he was keen to fly back to the UK to be with his mum after evacuating last week.

‘I was a bit worried about the air quality, so I thought I’d just come be with my mum, but my sister, brother, and dad are still over there as well so hopefully we can get them over here but we have to figure out the dogs as well,’ Fenton explained.

Read More Inside Patsy Palmer’s Malibu life as wildfires rage near her home

‘My sister and her mates are getting together. They’re helping as many people as they can,’ Fenton explained. ‘All of my best friends have lost their homes.’

Fenton added how his mum knew more than him about the extent of the fires as they had no power during the evacuation.

‘It’s the most bizarre thing you will ever go through,’ Patsy agreed. ‘And you’ve got no electric or anything so you can’t really see what’s going on in the news.’

She also confirmed that the family will be returning to LA and won’t be moving back to the UK, explaining: ‘We’re very blessed, you know I’m just happy to wake up in the morning and be alive.’

On Saturday Patsy gave an emotional update on her home, which the family moved to in 2019, as she confirmed it was ‘miraculously ok’ but admitted she felt ‘helpless’ as devastating fires continue to sweep her ‘hometown.

Observing the horrors over in America from afar she took to Instagram to confirm her house is still standing as she offered her support to victims and urged them to ‘meditate’ and ‘breath deeply’.

She began: ‘I have just woken up after having the first night sleep I have had in quite a few nights obviously because of the fires in California where I live.

Patsy explained that another fire shortly before Christmas saw her immediate neightbours’ houses burn down leading to ‘the most grateful Christmas just being in the house’

‘You know it’s only stuff, but I really love all my bits and pieces. I know it’s nothing compared to human life but for the kids it is their whole world,’ she told Lorraine

‘I am here in London working feeling pretty helpless and all I can really do from here is share the resources of everyone is working tirelessly to help and give whatever people need.’

Offering her advice she continued: ‘All I can say is, I hope it doesn’t sound like something unattainable for people at the moment, but honestly meditation.

‘If you can find a few seconds to breath as deeply as possible. Understand that what is gone is gone, the future is just a dream its not real.

‘What we all have no matter what circumstances we are going through, all we have right now is this time, right now, this present moment.’

The star also shared another post of some of the sentimental possessions she had cleared out from her garage over Christmas after earlier fires hit the area, before the recent devastation.

Revealing her husband called her to say they had been evacuated following a fire in her neighbourhood, she confirmed while her house was miraculously saved she feels an ‘overwhelming sadness’ at what could have been lost.

Clearing out the garage she wrote: ‘ Precious memories, pH๏τos , keepsakes etc. I felt an overwhelming sadness that we nearly lost these things .

‘We had the most grateful Christmas to date enjoying being together mostly , still in our home. I left back to London to work with a full heart NEVER EXPECTING THIS TO HAPPEN a week later!

On Saturday, Patsy gave an emotional update on her home as she confirmed it was ‘miraculously OK’ 

‘I experienced a small part of what it feels like to have lost everything we own and it was painful enough so to experience this again is beyond words.

‘Our house is miraculously ok again. It’s traumatic for everyone to lose everything they own and the precious memories that we often don’t know that we have in our garages. We laugh and say get rid of it but when it is taken it hits different.’

Patsy explained that in 2018 a part of Malibu burned and her and her family lost a rental so were without a home for three months.

She continued: ‘I come from Bethnal Green and its a world away from these types of disasters.

‘Having been through that though I also know how amazing community can be . It was so beautiful to see how everyone pulled together and helped everybody with things and trauma and just everything really.

‘My family and pets are safe and I know will be doing what they can to help . Its surreal as you drive 20 minutes up the road and its like nothing is happening. The sun is shining and life is going on ( Thankgod ) but yes it’s surreal for sure .

‘Sending all of my energy to everyone today . May you be blessed with healing love and so much understanding at this crazy time I’ll be sharing resources as I am helpless again here in London . I love you all so much.’

She told in a post on Thursday alongside a picture of the fires that her ‘brain was fried’ and lots of her friends in the area she lives in had lost their homes.

Patsy has previously said: ‘It’s beautiful we live in our own little bubble, Malibu is it’s own little place, we very much keep ourselves to ourselves and we have a lot of English friends’

Just last year Patsy admitted she would ‘never live in the UK again’ as she lives out her ‘dream life’ in Malibu 

Patsy had returned to the UK last Saturday before the fires broke out and said it was hard being so far away as the fires rage.

Patsy wrote: ‘My heart is broken. My brain is fried today looking at the devastating scenes of the fires AGAIN in my hometown. I just returned home to my home in case after the fires a couple of weeks ago and left on Saturday back to work in the UK and now this.

‘My family are safe but lots of my friends have lost their homes again which is extremely traumatic.

‘Being here so far away is really really hard. I’m praying and crying as I write this. I’m helpless here but praying hard Please reach out if you need anything. Richard and kids are there safe and evacuated.

‘This is huge. Really wasn’t expecting this. Heartbroken. Stay safe.’

Patsy often shares an insight into her life on Instagram, posting stunning pH๏τos of her breathtaking house, complete with uninterrupted ocean views and a pool.

The interior of her stunning family home features boho neutrals whilst the exterior boasts a terrace, where she practices yoga.