EastEnders fans have been left stunned after realising where they have seen Debbie’s mum, Brenda, before.
The character (Nichola McAuliffe) made her soap debut this week, following the death of Debbie. As fans will recall, Debbie (Jenny Meier) was in a coma following a stroke in the bath years prior.
However, amid his money troubles, husband Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) ended up murdering Debbie. The accountant turned into a murderer to clear his mounting debts ahead of his baby with Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy).
And during episodes this week, Debbie’s mum and dad, Brenda and Hugh Collins (Michael Bertenshaw) arrived in Walford. The heartbroken parents had a ton of questions for Reiss following their daughter’s death.
Reiss was panicked to see Debbie’s mum and dad – with Brenda less than convinced that she had died of natural causes. During a tense showdown, Brenda didn’t hold back as she told Reiss how she has never trusted him and his whole personality is an act.
However, it’s fair to say fans are gobsmacked after realising what Brenda actor Nichola McAuliffe has been in before.
No stranger to appearing on screens, Nichola has starred in the likes of Doctor Who and My Family. She was also the voice of James Bond’s BMW in Tomorrow Never Dies.
But it’s her role in Surgical Spirit that soap fans recognised her from. Nichola played Sheila Sabatini in the ITV sitcom from 1989 to 1995.
Reacting to Nichola’s new stint on EastEnders one fan said on a Facebook fan page: “The woman who played Debbie’s mum looks familiar I’m sure I’ve seen her somewhere else, what has she been in.”
Someone else replied: “Nicola from Surgical Spirit.” A third chimed in on the social media platform and wrote: “loved that series,” while another penned: “Yeah I was just thinking she looked familiar too!”
A fourth EastEnders fan also agreed: “I remember Nichola McAuliffe, who’s playing dead Debbie’s Mum, the most for playing Sheila Sabatini in the sitcom Surgical Spirit.”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk