EastEnders viewers were left stunned after watching Linda Henry, who plays the tough Albert Square matriarch Shirley Carter, break down in tears on Secrets from the Square.
On Monday night, host Stacey Dooley sat down with Linda and her on-screen sister Luisa Bradshaw-White, who plays Tina, for a chat about the soap and how they’d been finding lockdown.
And it wasn’t long before Linda was in tears as she spoke of how much she missed her grandson that she’d been unable to see.
The 57-year-old started: “I’ve just been at home, I live with my husband and my dog Johnny.”
Linda Henry broke down in tears talking about how much she missed her grandson (Image: BBC)
Things started to get too much for Linda, with her voice cracking as she continued: “And really wishing… my grandson… I just really…”
The actress then stopped talking as she started crying – a far cry from the usually hard-faced Walford character she plays.
But Luisa suggested this is far from abnormal, as she teased: “She cries about everything.
“You do, you always cry – you’re so sensitive.”
Linda plays the usually stern Shirley Carter on EastEnders (Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)
Linda told Stacey that her grandson was just two years old.
But as the episode went on, Linda continued to get upset at different spots, leaving viewers completely gobsmacked about the major differences between her and her character.
One said: “The fact that Linda Henry is this sweet and sensitive is making 2020 ok.”
Another tweeted: “Linda Henry is the absolute opposite of Shirley and I adore it.”
Luisa Bradshaw-White said Linda often cries about things (Image: BBC)
A third wrote: “Obsessed with how Linda is basically the opposite of Shirley.”
Another thing Linda cried about, according to Luisa, was the storyline that Shirley has coming up when EastEnders returns.
Linda teased: “The past comes back to bite Shirley on the bum.”
Tina hasn’t had an easy time either, as Luisa explained: “Tina got coronavirus and was living with Ash and Iqra.
“Tina comes out really wanting a relationship and love, so we start really from there with Tina.”
EastEnders will finally be back on our screens in September after the pandemic forced it off air earlier this year.
The BBC One soap ran out of pre-recorded episodes during a time when they were unable to make any more.
EastEnders airs on BBC One
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
