CAN LINDA SINK ANY FURTHER?

EastEnders' troubled Linda Carter hits the bottle again and faces some tough love when friends fear she has reached rock bottom

Walford's Linda Carter has been through tough times over the past two years, starting with losing her husband Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) on Christmas Day when he jumped off a cliff.

Then, last Christmas, Linda killed Keanu Taylor (Danny) Walters), and faced her rapist Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) in court after framing him for the gruesome murder. With secrets unravelling and unable to hold her nerve any longer, Linda has relapsed and turned back to the bottle with devastating consequences for everyone living in Walford.

"Linda's so deep into her alcoholism that she's unaware of the damage she is causing," sighs actress Kellie Bright, 48, who plays her. "It's not registering with her in those moments.

I think Linda may wake up with paranoia and think 'What did I do?' and the only way to quieten those thoughts is to have another drink. Sadly, I don't think she's conscious of what's happening." The person most affected by Linda's drinking is her nine-year-old son, Ollie Carter (Harry Farr). And Linda's eldest son, Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff), is devastated when Ollie tells him disturbing details of Linda's drunken behaviour.