FAREWELL , Walford!

SHONA MCGARTY on bowing out of EastEnders after 16 years...

- ALISON SLADE

EASTENDERS 

MON-THU, 7.30PM, BBC1 SOAP

If anyone in EastEnders deserves a bit of happiness, it's Whitney Dean. But as the market trader prepares to get hitched to Zack Hudson, father of her newborn baby Dolly and late tot Peach, she's in for more tears and turmoil.

Foster daughter Britney Wainwright announces that the groom has cheated on the bride with her maid of honour - Whitney's best friend, Lauren Branning.

It's a devastating 'duff duff' moment and sets the wheels in motion for a dramatic exit from the BBC1 soap for actor Shona McGarty, who has decided the time has come to hang up Whit's famous hoop earrings.

TV Times joined Shona, 32, for an exclusive chat to discuss Whitney's Walford journey and her hopes for the future...

Why have you decided to leave EastEnders?

I was toying with it over the past couple of years because of my age and because there are other things I want to do. I’ve been so fortunate to have had so many storylines, but I just want to do other things now. And I think Whitney needs a break.

It’s scary. I feel like I’m really young again, and I’ve just left home and got to do it alone. But, at the same time, I’m excited for what’s to come.

What can you tell us about Whitney’s exit?

When I read her exit storyline, I loved it, because it made sense. It reminds the audience of where she’s been and who she is.

It’s really nostalgic, and brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of how far I’ve come, and the journey that me and Patsy [Palmer, who plays Whitney’s adoptive mum, Bianca Jackson] have been on. It’s beautiful.