BBC EastEnders' Shona McGarty reveals real reason she quit soap after 16 years as Whitney Dean
BBC EastEnders star Shona McGarty, who plays Whitney Dean, will be leaving Walford very soon after over a decade on-screen.
The actress announced in July 2023 that she would be bowing out, and has finally finally revealed why she is bidding farewell to the show.
Talking to The Sun, Shona, 32, said: “There are other opportunities and areas of the industry I want to explore before I get too old! All things come to an end and this is the new chapter of my life. I’ve had a really good run and Whitney needs a break. She’s had a pretty tough paper round.”
Over the years, Whitney has had huge storylines from being groomed as a child, to kidnap, affairs, stalking and baby loss.
Recently, her on-screen mum, Bianca Jackson (played by Patsy Palmer) made a reappearance which sparked off Whitney’s fostering storyline.
It also led to the downfall of Whitney and Zack Hudson’s (James Farrar) relationship, who in recent scenes shared a kiss with Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa). Fans believe Whitney, who is currently pregnant with Zack’s child, could leave the show after discovering the betrayal.
Shona has already had her leaving party – snaps were spotted on Diane Parish’s (Denise Fox) Instagram in April. She shared a video montage of the party, writing: "Great send off for an Iconic character and sensational actress @shonabmx Shona McGarty. We will miss you bad bad bad but go get ‘em Queen!"
With her time on EastEnders coming to an end very soon, Shona isn’t sure what the future holds, but insists there are a few avenues she could go down, including music.
Shona said: "I’ve written lots of songs, things that I’d like to maybe share with the world one day. Working on an album is something I’ve always wanted to do and I can definitely see that happening. I’ve got things in the pipeline, which I can’t announce yet.”
Shona has showed off her singing skills on the soap as well as Children in Need. She’s also released three singles, the latest being, Let it Be, featuring The Celebs.
There’s also a lot going on in Shona’s personal life - she’s currently dating musician David Bracken. There have also been engagement rumours swirling as Shona was pictured wearing a ring on her wedding finger.
However, Shona has denied this, she said: “We’re not engaged, no. I’m not going to talk about David, bless him, because he doesn’t like being out there too much. But yes, I will say that I’m very happy in my personal life.”
