EastEnders fans were left in tears as Whitney Dean bid farewell to the BBC One soap after a 16 years.
Last year, it was announced that actress Shona McGarty, who plays Whitney, had decided to leave the popular show. Since her first appearance in 2008, Whitney has been at the centre of numerous dramatic storylines.
Recently, she was devastated to find out that Zack Hudson, the father of her newborn baby Dolly, had cheated on her with her friend Lauren Branning. Following this heartbreak, Whitney made the decision to leave Walford for good on Thursday (May 23), taking newborn Dolly and foster daughter Britney Wainwright with her.
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She revealed plans to move to Wakefield to be closer to her brother Ryan Malloy. Initially overwhelmed by the big move, Whitney found comfort when her adoptive mother Bianca Jackson offered to accompany her, reports the Mirror.
(Image: BBC)
Later, Whitney broke the news of her departure to Zack, leaving him distraught. In a twist, Zack revealed that Bianca had known all along about his affair with Lauren and had kept it a secret.
Whitney was crushed to discover Bianca’s betrayal and uninvited her from Wakefield. Before she bid farewell to Walford, Whitney had separate meetings with Zack and Lauren ahead of an emotional farewell party at the Queen Vic, where a number of locals escorted her to the bus stop.
(Image: BBC)
Emotional scenes saw Whitney, Dolly and Britney all exit Walford as Julia’s Theme played in the background. Fans flooded X with some keen-eyed viewers noticing a nostalgic and hidden detail. They spotted that Britney was sporting the same cap that Whitney had worn during her very first appearance in 2008.
Onefan wrote: “Class nod to Whitney that ending it on a bus with Britney wearing the hat from her first episode! Mad #Eastenders”, while another user noted: “It’s the way the episode ended. The little Easter eggs, Britney wearing Whitney’s cap. Whitney quoting Bianca from when they first came on the square. What an ending #Eastenders.”
(Image: BBC)
Another said: “Honestly didn’t expect to get so emotional watching tonight’s episode It really does feel like the end of an era seeing Whitney leave though. Such a nice send off for her, especially loved Britney wearing the same cap Whitney wore when she first arrived # EastEnders “.
A third added: “Ahhhh the ending had me in such crazy tears literally grew up watching Whitney gonna miss her so much #Eastenders” and yet another chimed in with: “But of course I cried because the Julia’s theme is EMOTIONAL and Whitney really is a legend on this show. I’m so upset. #Eastenders.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
