LA: She is best known for wearing cheap looking tracksuits and shouting her mouth off as Bianca Butcher in EastEnders. But Patsy Palmer looked a million miles away from her onscreen persona as she enjoyed a holiday in Greece with her husband.
The mother-of-four looked in the best shape of her life as she showed off her superb body in a colourful bikini and celebrated her 40th birthday in the sun.The Albert Square star looked younger than her years as she laughed and joked with her husband of 12 years Richard Merkell at the seaside.
Patsy, born Julie Harris, wore a pink and yellow two piece that revealed her slim legs and slender torso. Her ample cleavage was just about held inside the stylish bikini top and she covered her eyes with a pair of large black sunglasses.
The soap star also wore a pair of towering heels down to the waters edge, where she and Richard had a couple of sun loungers and a table reserved.
Patsy sat down to remove her thick heeled shoes but decided not to venture into the sea and instead perched on the edge of the wood platform.
Richard also showed hesitation in cooling off in the crystal blue waters and slumped himself into a sun lounger, while watching the waves crash against the rocks.
Later in the day, Palmer showed her demure side and changed into a short black kaftan and sandals. The couple stopped off to pick pick some ice cream before jumping back on to their hired Vespa scooter.
They headed for a late lunch and shared a tender moment as they kissed across the dinner table. Earlier this year the couple renewed their wedding vows on the island of St Vincent shortly after Patsy began her six month break from EastEnders.
They have three children together including Fenton, 11, daughter Emilia, 10, and son Bertie, 17 months, and Patsy's son Charley, 20, from a previous relationship.
Her break from the soap comes a few months after she revealed she suffered a miscarriage last October. She tragically lost her baby just as she was preparing to return to the BBC soap after her maternity leave following the birth of her son Bertie.
An EastEnders spokeswoman said: 'Patsy will be back on screen later this year.'
