Tanya Cross (also Branning and Jessop) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by Jo Joyner. She made her first appearance on 27 June 2006. Joyner left the show temporarily on 25 December 2009 for maternity leave. After a guest appearance, Tanya eventually returned on 27 September 2010. On 1 April 2013, it was announced that Joyner would be departing the role and she made her final appearance on 28 June 2013. Tanya returned in February 2015 for two episodes as part of the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. She later reprised the role again in 2017 for four episodes, appearing between 25 December 2017 and 16 February 2018. Tanya's storylines have included opening her own salon, giving birth to her third child, discovering that her husband Max Branning (Jake Wood) had an affair with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) before divorcing and then burying him alive with the help from her new partner Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky), marrying Greg Jessop (Stefan Booth), starting an affair with Max on her wedding day to Greg, dealing with her eldest daughter, Lauren Branning's (Madeline Duggan/Jacqueline Jossa) alcoholism, battling cervical cancer, discovering that Max has a secret wife, Kirsty Branning (Kierston Wareing) on their second wedding day, witnessing her daughters Lauren and Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) fall from the roof of The Queen Victoria public house and subsequently dealing with Abi’s death, which leads to her mental breakdown.