EastEnders marks end of an era as Whitney's dramatic EXIT is revealed

EastEnders has marked the end of an era with an emotional trailer teasing Whitney Dean's (Shona McGarty) exit from the soap after 16 years.

Whitney's time in Walford has been swamped in misery since she first stepped onto the Square in 2008. 

She has suffered from sexual abuse, had a miscarriage, had a string of failed engagements, been stalked and went on trial for murder and dated a serial killer who murdered her fiancé Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) amongst many more traumatic events.

It looked like she was about to get her much-needed 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).

In the new trailer, Whitney watches and reacts to her key storylines playing out on a screen, including her first arrival to the Square, the abuse she suffered by paedophile Tony King, her doomed wedding to Callum Highway (Tony Clay) who cheated on her with Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) and exposing serial killer Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith).

They captioned the video: "Will Whitney get her happy ever after? #EastEnders."

The final video on screen reveals Whitney and Zack's relationship as she tells him that having a little family is all she's ever wanted.

Whitney is set to welcome a baby with Zack after the heartbreaking loss of their baby daughter Peach, who was diagnosed with Edwards' Syndrome. 

Their brood grew bigger when they fostered neglected teen Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell), despite Zack's initial reluctance to take her on as he thought she was prioritising Britney's needs over their unborn baby's.

Zack and Whitney got into a huge bust up when she lied about not legally fostering Britney and instead paid the teen's mum £2,000 to take her daughter off her.

Zack later committed the ultimate betrayal by sleeping with Lauren and their one night stand is currently being kept a secret, with only Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) knowing the truth.

Will Whitney finally get her happy ending despite all the heartache?

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.