Elizabeth Kelly, the actress best known for playing Nellie Ellis on the soap opera EastEnders, has died at the age of 104.
Kelly, who was born in Newcastle, worked in the entertainment industry for over forty years. Her career began with a small, uncredited appearance in The Beatles’ film, Magical Mystery Tour.
In 1971, she first appeared on Coronation Street playing Edie Burgess, the sister-in-law of Emily Bishop and mother of Freda. She was in two episodes of the show.
Kelly acted in several popular dramas like ‘A Family at War’ and ‘Grange Hill’ throughout the 1970s and 80s. In December 1993, she joined the BBC soap opera as Nellie, who was related to Lou Beale (played by Anna Wing).
Nellie first appeared at Pete Beale’s funeral and soon after moved in with the Fowler family. She formed a surprising friendship with Ethel Skinner, despite their differing opinions. They often shared meals together at The Vic and later ended up living in the same retirement home.
Over the next five years, she made several brief appearances on the show, culminating in a final role after the character of Ethel passed away in 2000. Although her character was referenced again in 2007, Kelly had already retired from acting by that time.
Later in her career, Kelly appeared as Edith Weatherall, a friend of Tricia Dingle (Sheree Murphy), on Emmerdale. She also had roles in The Bill, Heartbeat, and its spin-off, The Royal.
She also starred in cult indie film 24 Hour Party People, alongside Steve Coogan.
According to The Sun, Kelly is remembered by her son, daughter, and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I spoke with Father Eddie Gubbins, who knew Grace Kelly from church, and he shared some lovely memories with me. He described her as a truly strong woman with a beautiful singing voice, and emphasized how kind and gracious she always was. He actually visited her at the care home just a few days before she passed away, so he had a chance to see her one last time.
Authors
Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at TopMob, providing the latest news and spoilers for popular British soap operas like Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks. Before joining TopMob, he worked as a Soaps Reporter at Metro for two years and even worked on the sets of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
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2026-02-04 18:06