Former EastEnders actor Barbara Smith has shared that she is "broken" after announcing that her mum has passed away.

Smith shared on social media that she had a very close bond with her mum and that her heart would "remain broken until the end of time".

In a post on her Instagram Barbara shared: "Yesterday, the unimaginable happened. I lost the best friend I could ever ask for - my extraordinary mum, Alice. From our love of cinema and music to our passionate political views, you couldn’t find a closer mother and daughter.

"We lived in a small flat with only each other for company for the majority of my life. My heart is broken, and will remain broken until the end of time.

"When she came home before she lived out her final days in a hospice, she told me that telling me she loved me to the moon and back was too cliche, so she decided on telling me she loves me to Venus and back.

"Well mum, I love you to Venus and back. And I hope wherever you are, I get the privilege of seeing you again someday."

READ MORE: EastEnders change iconic credits in aid of climate change

Along with the tribute, Smith also shared a number of pictures of her mum in the post.

Smith played the role of Dana Monroe on the soap for 84 episodes between 2019 and 2022, with her final episode airing in September this year as her character headed off to university.