There's a lot more to singer and actress Anita Dobson than playing EastEnders' Angie Watts...
Anita Dobson shot to fame in 1985 thanks to her role in EastEnders where she played 'Dirty' Den Watts' long-suffering wife, Angie Watts.
Until she left in 1988, Anita became a firm fan favourite as Sharon Watts' adoptive mother, and during her time in Walford she battled an alcohol addiction while putting up with her husband's cheating ways.
To this day Anita and Leslie Grantham, who played her on screen husband, hold the record of taking centre stage in EastEnders highest ever rating episode. On Christmas Day in 1986 a staggering 30.15 million viewers tuned in to watch Den hand Angie divorce papers.
Most fans of the actress will know that:
- She is still in touch with Letitia Dean, who played her on-screen daughter, Sharon Watts
- As well as being in countless TV shows, Anita's had a hugely successful stage career
- She turned down the chance to reprise her role of Angie Watts on two occasions
But what else do we know about Anita Dobson? Here are several things you probably don't know...
1. Anita Dobson's had a top five chart hit
https://youtu.be/9CFcu8JRwAU
In 1986 Anita reached number four in the UK singles chart with 'Anyone Can Fall In Love' - a song that was based on the famous EastEnders theme tune.
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2. She wasn't the first actress to play Angie Watts
While Anita has gone down in soap history as Den Watt's long-suffering wife, she wasn't the first actress to play the role of Angie. Another actress called Jean Fennell had already begun filming at EastEnders when it was decided that she didn't gel with the idea of the character and Anita was quickly brought in as a replacement. The rest, as they say, is history...
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3. Anita Dobson's got a VERY famous husband
Anita met Brian when she was in her 30s and the pair have been going strong ever since, but as she told Woman & Home, marriage wasn't always on the cards: "He was a huge rock star and our lives were very different. But later I reached a point where I thought, you’ve gone through all the hard stuff with this man and you’re still here, what does that tell you, Anita Dobson? So one day, I said to him, 'I’m ready.' Two weeks later we were married. And doing it at 51? It was the best decision I’ve made."
4. She did Strictly Come Dancing in honour of her late parents
In 2011 Anita told Shropshire Star: "Strictly Come Dancing asked me three times and the third time I was tempted because my parents used to ballroom dance. I spoke to my best friend about it and they asked me what was stopping me. I said I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, but at the age of 62 I also thought ‘why should I care because I’m happily married, comfortable and in a good place’. So I parked my career and did it and it was such fun."
5. She was best friends with Freddie Mercury
In fact it was actually the legendary Queen frontman who introduced Anita to his bandmate Brian May, who Anita went on to marry years later. The actress told mirror.co.uk: "I met Freddie first and we became great friends. I was invited to see Queen at Wembley and afterwards I was invited to a huge party - it was all thanks to EastEnders. Fred was an EastEnders fan and he was just lovely."
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6. She spends her spare time reading
Anita has revealed that once she discovered a good book thanks to her stepson’s girlfriend, and now there's no stopping her! She told Woman & Home: "We were on holiday when she told me about this book she was reading called Secrets of the Sewing Bee by Katie Thompson. It’s all about the East End where I grew up during the Blitz and the rag trade, and I was so intrigued by it that I borrowed it. I suddenly realised what I’d been missing. She’s now lent me the second one called Secrets of the Singer Girls – it feels as though I’m catching up on lost time now!"
7. In her EastEnders heyday Anita was the second most photographed woman on the planet
While more than 3o million people spent their Christmas Day in 1986 watching Anita in EastEnders, it is still astonishing to think that the only other woman in the entire world who was being photographed more than her at that time was Princess Diana. When Anita quit EastEnders in 1988 it was even reported on the BBC's Six O'Clock News.
Anita Dobson's Fact File
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actress....
How old is she?
Anita Dobson's age is 71. She was born on 29 April 1949.
Is she in a relationship?
Anita Dobson is married to Queen guitarist Brian May.
Does she have kids?
Anita Dobson has three grown-up stepchildren with Brian.
Where was she born?
Anita Dobson was born in Stepney, London.
How tall is she?
Anita Dobson is 1.6 metres tall.
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.
Picture credits: Main image Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for BFI
