Letitia Dean shows off her glamorous makeover and dramatic weight loss in a striking new snap celebrating 40 years of EastEnders

EastEnders star Letitia Dean cut a striking figure as she showed off her glamorous makeover in a new snap to celebrate the soap's 40th anniversary.

The soap veteran, 57, sported sleek blonde locks and opted for a full face of make-up with a sultry smokey-eye, strong brows and a glossy nude lip.

Letitia was wearing her character Sharon Watts' trademark black, wearing an off the shoulder dress with winged sleeves which highlighted her svelte frame.

The actress has previously spoken about how she dropped two stone going from 10st 4lbs to 8st 3lbs and also dropping four dress sizes.

Sharon lost the weight in just one year by prioritising her health and wellbeing and cutting out junk food completely.

Fans of the star went wild for the snap and showed their support in the comments section of her post.

They said: 'So beautiful, the queen Woolford [sic]'; 'Beautiful lady, the Queen of Walford'; 'Queen Tish Dean'; 'Look amazing'. 

Speaking recently to the Radio Times about the anniversary, Letitia confessed she didn't expect EastEnders to last 40 years when she first appeared and admires Sharon's ability to speak her mind.

She shared: ''Absolutely not. None of us did at the time. It was going to last a few months – if we were lucky. Then suddenly, bang!'

On what she admires most about her character, Letitia said: 'She opens her trap and speaks her mind – which I'm not so good at!'

To celebrate the soap's 40th anniversary, the BBC will air a special hour-long episode on Wednesday, February, 20, which will then be following by a full live episode on Thursday February 21.

Shocking new pictures from the episode have teased that the iconic Queen Vic will be going up in flames - and potentially taking one character down with it.

The long-running soap which, since its earliest days in 1985, has seen murders, fires and more than its fair share of cliff-hangers.

But the 40th anniversary episode looks like being its most dramatic yet.

 Previous pictures from the £87million set reveal Albert Square as viewers have never seen it before – with the windows of the Queen Vic blown out and the surrounding streets strewn with rubble.

Over the last few years, Letitia has prioritised her health and well-being and has cut out one of her bad habits.

Letitia admitted she tried 'faddy diets' in the past which never worked but after ditching junk food she has now started to feel better.

Speaking to Closer in 2007, the soap star said: 'It was incredible. I found I had so much more energy than when I used to eat junk food.'

Now Letitia has made long-term changes and enjoys 'grilled skinless chicken' and 'lots of greens'.

She said: 'The main reason I wanted to do something about my figure was that I was so sick of extreme dieting and my weight yo-yoing.

'I just woke up one morning, and I'd had enough. For years and years - as long as I can remember - my weight had yo-yoed up and down. I'd go on fad diets like Atkins or I'd only eat eggs.'

Letitia noted that she did 'lose a stone in a couple of weeks on a yoyo diet' but admitted it is not sustainable and she quickly slipped back into her old ways.

Now, the BBC star revealed she sticks to a well-balanced diet, keeping to 1,300 calories a day, and compliments her healthy eating regime with exercises such as running and boxercise.

According to the NHS website, the recommended calorie intake, generally speaking, is around 2,000 calories per day for women and 2,500 calories per day for men.