Whitney is left alone and vulnerable, and falls for a man, Rob Grayson, played by Jody Latham,[14] who exploits her for financial gain. Lee tells Whitney that he blames himself for her wanting to break up with him, and she promises him that they will work things out. She begins a relationship with Peter when he supports her through her grief. Whitney is described by executive producer Diederick Santer as both an equal to, and younger version of Bianca, and is the oldest of Bianca's four children. Female Whitney believes she is pregnant, and when she tells Tyler, he seems reluctant to take on a child. Whitney is thereupon approached by a man called Rob Grayson (Jody Latham), who helps her and buys her food before returns her to Albert Square; he also gives Whitney his phone number before she returns home. Linda throws her out after she realises that she is the person Mick kissed and Whitney moves in with Stacey, her husband and Bianca's cousin, Martin Fowler (James Bye), and their children. He does, but she says it is like kissing her best friend. Diederick Santer (2008) After she does as he says, Leo says it is not good enough and takes her to The Queen Vic where he forces her to announce to everyone that she has been lying about Tony abusing her and that she has made it up as a teen for attention. She throws her phone away and tells nobody that she is going. Whitney is beginning to pass her sell-by date with him. Later, a bus crashes into the market and Whitney is trapped underneath it. However, they catch her in the act after returning the goods she stole and she agrees to get professional counselling. He then opens a stall at the market to be close to Whitney and even goes on a date with Dotty imagining that she is Whitney. She leaves him a voicemail message not knowing that he has followed her. Stacey apologises to Whitney and she accepts. 8th December 1992 She then tells Tyler to leave her alone. Whitney Dean (also Carter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shona McGarty. When she is caught, Rob rescues her from the situation and offers her what McGarty called a "dream life", which Whitney thinks is her chance to move up in the world as she feels lonely and has no friends. However he comes round to the idea, but Whitney discovers she is not pregnant after all. They then share a kiss and go back to Joey's house to have sex. [5], McGarty filmed her 1000th episode as Whitney in June 2018, over ten years after she joined the soap. While theyre having fun Whitney steps out onto the balcony and sees Leo. In October 2007, it was announced that the character Bianca Jackson was returning to EastEnders after an absence of six years. SHONA MCGARTY, who plays Whitney Dean in EastEnders, has revealed she split from her fianc Ryan Harris after an 18-month engagement last year, as the actress admitted the former couple "grew apart". "[13], In January 2011, it was announced that Whitney would be part of an upcoming storyline on sexual exploitation. Gray offers to represent Whitney and she is questioned by police who are doubtful as to why she would have gone to the boat party if she had killed Leo in self-defence. Whitney becomes closer to Mick in Linda's absence and is warned by Shirley to stay away from him. She leaves him a voicemail message not knowing that he's following her. EastEnders continues Thursday night at 7.30pm on BBC One. Soaps. Great-grandmothers 2. Whitney later sets her sights on newcomer Johnny Carter (Sam Strike), unaware that he is gay. The show also . Stepfather Whitney and Leo continue their fling, but Whitney struggles to move on from Halfway and attempts to kiss him, but is rejected. Whitney tells Tyler about the kiss with Joey, so he breaks up with her. The man is revealed to be Leo (Tom Wells), unbeknownst to Whitney, the son of Tony. Whitney and Carol argue over Connor, and Whitney feels she is not wanted by her family so decides to move out and stays with Ricky's sister and Ryan's wife Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks). She storms out and a man named Mark gives Whitney a mobile phone from Tony. During one breaktime, she warns Dennis Rickman (Harry Hickles) not to run in the playground. Once she finds out he is Tony's son she calls Whitney to tell her and she and Halfway rush to the hotel to find her. Todd sees them, and Whitney later breaks up with him. It's not going to be easy (Picture: BBC) Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) was left shocked in EastEnders when she discovered that she was pregnant after a one night stand with Zack Hudson (James. When Michael Moon tells his brother, Tyler, about Whitney's recent ordeal he rejects her but later gives her his special Moon pendant to make up for it. Whitney opts to live with Dot Branning instead of her close family, but Dot convinces her to move back to Ricky's. Janine tries to get Whitney to come home but she refuses, and Rob ejects Janine. They talk in his car until he goes to get some chips but forgets his wallet. Whitney is angry when Joey Branning kisses her. Whitney confesses to Mick that she intends to break up with Lee after the wedding, unable to handle his depression. "[5] Narducci for the NSPCC stated that importance was placed on making children viewing the show "feel comfortable about asking for help if they felt they needed it [and] for the wider community - to recognise the signs and let them know that they can do something about it. Upon Lee's return from the army, Whitney gives the relationship another chance. She fails to attend her GCSE exams and argues with Bianca. When Whitney starts a relationship with a man named Lee (Mitchell Hunt), it is revealed that he is a friend of Rob's, and when Whitney agrees to meet Lee by text, Rob takes control of Lee's mobile phone. They kiss and decide to wait until the time is right before having sex. [17] She said she felt honoured and privileged to be given the storyline. Shortly after the incident Whitney lies on the bed in silence, with Lee begging for forgiveness. It then emerges that Whitney told Mick that Ryan killed Rob, so Whitney and Mick convince Ryan to return the money and hand himself to the police, and Whitney will back him up in the hope of him being charged with manslaughter instead of murder, to which Ryan agrees. Whitney shares an emotional goodbye with Ryan as he heads into the police station. Whitney Dean made her first appearance as the adopted daughter of her legal guardian Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). He tells them that Whitney is trying to visit Tony. BBC Head of Drama John Yorke explained that the idea when presented "drew a sharp intake of breath. Whitney finds it and, looking inside, sees a condom. Whitney and Billie nearly kiss but they are interrupted by Bianca. She was described as "a teenage drama queen, unable to engage brain before mouth and constantly finding herself in and out of trouble". He later tells Fatboy she needs a shrink which Whitney overhears. On the day of the wedding, Lee goes missing and Whitney and Mick find him drunk at the park. The next day, Lucy is found dead. Bianca Jackson Lee gratefully accepts for the sake of their marriage. But Abi doesn't want to tell Whitney and asked tells Lauren that she's her big sister and who she would choose over her or Whitney. At her funeral, Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) discovers a condolences card with "Rot in Hell" written on it, and realises the handwriting matches Whitney's. When he finds him, they fight and fall over the edge of the pier. While Mick and Linda are on their honeymoon, Whitney invites Ryan back to Walford to see Lily, but while at the pub, he steals the cash from the safe, causing Whitney and Nancy to fight, just as Mick and Linda walk in on them. [5] Coghill has explained that Tony began grooming Whitney as soon as he met Bianca, ingratiating himself so as to become the family's "hero figure" and "saviour". While everyone is having drinks at the Vic, Gray arrives and announced that Michaela has been arrested. He leaves, telling Whitney to meet him at Walford East Station at half three. Whitney accepts, but later realises that Debra is using her and she is only there to hide from someone. At the trial, Whitney's witness statement is played in court and when she says she was 12 years old when their relationship started, Ryan leaves in disgust. She is upset and gets angry when Ryan does not understand how she feels. Whitney tells Rob she wants to leave, but he says to either be nice to his friends or he will hurt her. First cousins Kat offers to trade jobs with Whitney for a week so she can have a break from seeing Leo at the market. Bianca adopted Whitney from a young age and she looked at Bianca as a mother figure as her biological mother Debra walked out on her when she was a toddler, leaving Nathan to look after Whitney, then Nathan met Bianca and later Tiffany was conceived. At the boat party, Whitney considers throwing the knife overboard but Jack arrives to talk to her. On Valentine's Day, Whitney rejects Halfway's surprise but she is touched when Halfway talks about how his grandfather brought him up to treat women with respect. Someone calls the police and Sam is arrested for perverting the course of justice. Bianca reluctantly agrees to deposit the money; however, Whitney hides some to be used in emergencies. She then goes for a drink at R&R and Joey tries to comfort her which leads them to start flirting with one another. Bianca says she will never let Tony near Whitney again. That night, Whitney is kidnapped again knife point by Michaela and taken to a locked room. She accidentally spills tea on it, breaking it. Whitney's barrister, Vivien Easley QC gives Bianca five minutes to talk Whitney round. When she is getting ready Leo appears in her room with a knife, threatening her and telling her that the letter from Tony was written soon before he committed suicide and that he states that he always loved Whitney, which Leo thinks proves that Whitney was lying since Tony did not admit to abusing her or apologize, only writing that he always loved her. When he confronts her, she tells him that Lucy was sending her abusive texts about her looks, and that she completely despised her. EASTENDERS' Whitney Dean proposed to her boyfriend Kush Kazemi during tonight's episode, but how will Gray Atkins react when he finds out and what lengths will he go to, to get rid of Kush? Final approval for the storyline was sought from BBC Head of Fiction Jane Tranter on 2 June 2008. Lee brought her a pregnancy kick bracelet. Tranter explained: Chris Coghill was cast as Whitney's abuser Tony on 20 June 2008. Whitney gives her relationship with Lee another go and is shocked when he proposes to her. Duration Leo is then arrested at The Queen Vic thanks to Jack and Whitney, Martin, Kush and Kat go to celebrate. She refuses and Tony begins insulting Bianca, unaware that Whitney is hearing their argument in the background. "[28] However, in contrast to public and media dissent, the NSPCC's director of communications, John Grounds, praised the storyline for "helping to raise awareness of the hidden nature of sexual abuse",[2] deeming it to be "vital in persuading people to take action to stop it and encouraging children to speak out. Jack advises Whitney to start writing down everything Leo does as evidence which she does in a notebook. Whitney is then upset when Bianca confronts her about this and immediately packs her things. She agrees to tell him the truth and goes on to explain what really happened - that Tony did abuse her as a child and that she has finally accepted that it wasnt her fault that she was abused. She tells Ricky to leave her and Tiffany alone as they are nothing to do with him, but Ricky reveals that Tiffany is his daughter. Half-Brothers Whitney tells him that will never happen. He does, but she says it is like kissing her best friend. Lauren helps Abi gets her job back at The Queen Victoria and they celebrate with Whitney. Debra turns up unexpectedly, claiming she is homeless, but reveals she is planning to move to Greece when she has enough money and says Whitney can come with her. Over the next few months, Bianca becomes the beneficiary of a mystery "guardian angel" - who is revealed to be Whitney. [6] The storyline was conceived when EastEnders series consultant Simon Ashdown viewed a documentary about homelessness, featuring a mother and child at a bus stop with nowhere to go. A few weeks later, Johnny comes out to Whitney, which hurts her as she feels that Johnny has been using her. Whitney admits to feeling the same way, and they begin a relationship. Billie chooses Whitney, and Kylie takes revenge by attempting to shoot him, shooting his uncle Jack (Scott Maslen) instead. Whitney later thanks Mick for helping her with Lee, but accidentally kisses him on the lips in the process. 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