EastEnders legend Shona McGarty is reportedly in talks to star on Strictly Come Dancing 2024.
Shona is set to exit the soap after playing Whitney Dean for 15 years, but now it looks like she could be showing off her fancy footwork on the Strictly ballroom this year.
A source told The Mirror: “Shona would be a great fit for the show. She’s a real favourite with soap fans, as well as being incredibly bubbly and good fun. She is also a big fan of Strictly but when she was approached for it the first time, she was really worried it might be too much for her.
“A few years on, she is a lot more confident and the timing is better, because she won’t have to juggle the show with her commitments to EastEnders.”
Shona had been approached by the show in 2021, but turned it down as “my anxiety got the better of me, and I thought I would be too nervous to do a live show."
Whitney's time in Walford has been swamped in misery ever since she first stepped onto the Square in 2008.
It looked like she was about to get her well-deserved happy ending with her fiancé Zack Hudson (James Farrar) and their little family, but she is oblivious to the fact that he cheated on her with her best friend Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).
When Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) found out, she threatened to expose their fling, but was stopped when Whitney proposed to Zack.
A spanner was thrown in the works once again when Whitney went into labour just as Lauren was about to admit to the betrayal.
Whitney and Zack welcomed baby Dolly after the heartbreaking loss of their baby daughter Peach, who was diagnosed with Edwards' Syndrome.
To add to their growing family, the couple also fostered neglected teen Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell), who overheard Lauren and Zack discussing their rendezvous after Whitney had given birth at the hospital.
Will she expose Zack's secret?
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
