The brother of a former EastEnders actress found dead in a canal has accepted responsibility for killing her, a court has heard.
Gemma McCluskie's headless and limbless body was discovered floating in London's Regent's Canal in March. Her head remained missing until it was pulled from the water on September 9.
Tony McCluskie, 35, will still face trial to decide whether the 29-year-old's death was murder or manslaughter, a judge said.
McCluskie, who lived in Hackney with his sister, had been due to face trial next month but the case was moved to January 14 next year because of the discovery of the head.
Appearing via videolink at the Old Bailey, he was remanded in custody until the new trial date.
Miss McCluskie played Kerry Skinner in the BBC soap in 2001.
She went missing after attending the opening of the new Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London but her body was not found for a week.
During that time, friends launched extensive searches in a bid to find her and former EastEnders co-stars Natalie Cassidy and Brooke Kinsella both appealed on Twitter for help.
