Whitney Dean’s shocking crime exposed – and will trigger her dramatic EastEnders exit after 16 years
This article contains spoilers from Wednesday’s (March 27) EastEnders which has not yet aired on TV but is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) has been harbouring a secret ever since her return to Albert Square, and it has now been exposed as a shocking crime.
When Whitney was in Milton Keynes, she met tearaway teen Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell) and almost instantly took her under her wing.
It didn’t take Whitney long to realise that Britney’s mum wasn’t taking care of her properly, and during a tense showdown Keeley Wainwright challenged Whitney to take her off her hands.
Whitney’s partner Zack Hudson (James Farrar) was stunned to discover that Britney was their new foster child, though it soon became clear to viewers that Whitney wasn’t being totally honest about the situation.
After slipping up on the story about how she came to foster Britney, Whitney later told the teen that Zack could never know what happened before they left Milton Keynes, leaving viewers intrigued.
In recent scenes, everything became clear when Whitney received a call from social worker Jan, and was adamant that she should be the one to take it, despite Zack being keen.
Outside, Whitney told Jan that she and Zack had decided not to continue fostering due to their new baby – though she didn’t anticipate Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) overhearing.
Lauren demanded to know why Whitney was lying, and threatened to tell Zack what she’d overheard if Whitney didn’t spill.
With no other option, Whitney admitted that she had paid Keeley to take Britney away, meaning that they weren’t legally fostering her at all.
Lauren was horrified, and urged her best friend to tell Zack the truth, though it was clear that Whitney was reluctant.
TV writer Sarah Phelps, who’s show credits include A Very British Scandal recalled a time she received intense criticism over an EastEnders plot.
Phelps was a writer on the BBC soap from 2002 to 2016 and she told aspiring writers at the Dublin’s Storyhouse festival.
The writer is perhaps most remembered for bringing Dirty Den, played by Leslie Grantham, back from the dead and killing him off again in the 20th anniversary episode.
However the storyline involving Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) in a romantic relationship with her half brother Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman) sparked uproar from fans.
‘One thing I would say to all of you, as creators and makers is that, if and when that happens to you, you want to put it away and not look at but you should look at it,’ she told the crowd.
‘Do something to it that robs it of its power. Put it in a frame. Shine a light on it and stare at it until all it is is somebody’s meanness and nothing to do with you.’
She added: ‘Don’t let it creep into your brain, because they’re designed to make you feel ashamed and designed to make you feel small and designed to make you feel stupid for trying. So, shine a light on it, print it out, put it in a frame, put fairly lights around it, toast it, make friends with it and stare at it until it has none of its power to hurt you.’
The storyline saw Sharon and Dennis getting married but Dennis died when Sharon was pregnant with his baby.
However, when Dennis departed, former Strictly star Nigel also packed his bags and hasn’t looked back at Walford since.
Back in 2022, Nigel appeared on ITV’s Loose Women and discussed his time on the show, but it was clear he had either forgotten or was completely unaware of what happened after he left.After clearing up the confusion, Nigel was then asked if he’d ever consider going back to Albert Square despite being killed off, to which he teased: ‘Never say never, everyone always talks about [Dallas actor] Patrick Duffy in the shower, but I’ve got other things on and managed to keep myself busy.’
