Kellie praised the soap's ability to reach out to viewers...
EastEnders actress Kellie Bright has opened up about how she feels her character Linda Carter's alcoholism storyline helped vulnerable viewers.
Fans of the BBC One soap have watched The Queen Vic's landlady Linda downward spiral into alcohol addiction over the past months, with the iconic Walford character finally beginning her recovery journey.
Now, Kellie has spoken out on how the hard to watch storyline had a positive impact on some members of the audience, telling the story of an 11-year-old boy who was trapped in a home pressured by alcoholism.
"Someone at work recently told me about her godson who had been removed from his family home because his mother is an alcoholic," Kellie told the Mirror.co.uk.
"He is only about 11 or something but since he has been removed, he has not spoken at all. But I was told he has been watching the show and he has actually started to talk again. She told me that story with tears in her eyes," she added.
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"This is the impact that the storyline has had. I do believe the soap has the incredible ability to reach millions and millions of people on a level that perhaps others don't."
This follows the sad news that the soap's production has been forced to stop amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Last week, EastEnders bosses confirmed that filming of the telly favourite had been cancelled, sharing a statement that read, "In light of the spread of COVID-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on EastEnders will be postponed until further notice.
"The decision was made after the latest government update. We will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the World Health Organisation and Public Health England."
Going on to explain how they would make the remaining episodes of EastEnders last as long as possible, they added, "We have also taken the decision to reduce the amount of episodes we broadcast each week to two, so that we can ensure the audience can continue to enjoy EastEnders in their homes for as long as possible."
EastEnders will temporarily air a reduced schedule of two episodes a week. Watch on Mondays at 8pm and Tuesdays at 7:30pm on BBC One.
