British Soap Awards 2018: EastEnders fans can’t believe their eyes as Lorraine Stanley glams up and looks completely different to Karen Taylor

LORRAINE Stanley looked a far cry from her EastEnders character Karen Taylor as she dressed up for The British Soap Awards tonight.

The actress, 41, impressed viewers, who were watching from home as the event broadcast live on television for the first time, as she took to the stage to accept her prize for Best Newcomer.

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The star looked stylish in a floaty black dress which featured glittering silver vertical stripes.

Her outfit had some gold decoration on the neckline which matched her heels.

Lorraine’s long blonde hair rested on her shoulders as she thanked EastEnders bosses, her co-stars and fans whilst collecting her gong at the bash.

The Best Newcomer category was presented by McFly singer Danny Jones and some EastEnders fans did not recognise Lorraine as she took to the stage.

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One person tweeted: “I hardly recognised Lorraine Stanley out of her #EastEnders chatacter #SoapAwards.”

Another surprised viewer wrote: “Flippin hell, Karen from EastEnders looks different!”

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And one other fan remarked: “Oh my God I didn’t even recognise Karen from EastEnders in #SoapAwards.”

Lorraine looked astounded when it was announced she had won and she described her soap as “iconic” to the star-studded audience.

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She said: “Thank you. I just want to say a big thank you to EastEnders for having me. It’s an iconic show I’ve grown up watching, it’s brilliant.

“I want to thank the Soap Awards for nominating me and my mum for being the most inspiring mum ever – thank you.”

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Lorraine has been involved in EastEnders' harrowing knife crime storyline for which fans have praised the writers and cast for their coverage of.

Her on-screen son Keegan survived a stabbing that claimed the life of his best friend Shakil Kazemi.

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During Friday night's episode, Shakil's killer was arrested after Keegan found out where he was and called the police.

Lorraine is planning to leave London so her daughter does not grow up near gang violence.

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She told The Sun Online's Soap Bubble: "I do live in London and, you know what, IO've got a young daughter and already I am starting to worry about things.

"She's only two and a half and I'm already worrying about what things will be like when she's a teenager. I definitely won't be in London."

You can see a list of The Soap Awards 2018 winners here.

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