Inside EastEnders’ Whitney star Shona McGarty’s life off screen – co-star romance to 'special talent'

Leigh Francis is set to get his hands dirty in the Celebrity Bake Off Stand Up To Cancer tent tonight.

Bargain Hunt expert Kate Bliss has been helping the red and blue teams at auctions with her impressive knowledge for years. She made her TV debut on the popular BBC show after being spotted by the crew of Bargain Hunt.The antique enthusiast, who is in her late 40s, has been on other daytime shows including Flog It! and Secret Dealers, along with presenting Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. Away from TV, she has an eye for jewellery and silver and is part of the fancy Great Britain Gemmological Association.

Claire Skinner, who is best known for her role in Outnumbered, is returning to our screens for Channel 5's new thriller Coma. But away from fame, the actress, 59, tends to keep her life out of the spotlight, however, she is known to be dating her co-star from the hugely popular comedy series.

Leigh Francis, better known as Keith Lemon from Celebrity Juice, has been happily married to his childhood sweetheart Jill Carter for over 20 years.The couple, who tied the knot in North Yorkshire in 2002, have two daughters together, Matilda and Dolly. Unlike her famous husband, beauty therapist Jill prefers to keep a low profile, but they do occasionally step out together at events. In a 2016 interview with The Sun, Leigh revealed that Jill prefers it when he's not in character as Keith so they can enjoy being a 'normal' couple.

Kaya Scodelario has made a welcome return to TV screens in new Netflix series The Gentlemen.The actress stars as Suzie Glass in Guy Ritchie's new series - a spin-off of the 2019 film of the same name. Kaya, 32, stars alongside the likes of Theo James, Vinnie Jones and Daniel Ings in The Gentlemen, which was released on Netflix on 7 March.The series has proven to be a hit with viewers so far and has received many five-star reviews online. It comes over 15 years since Kaya shot to fame in E4 series Skins, in which she portrayed Effy Stonem.

Steve Brown has become a familiar face amongst BBC viewers as part of the presenting team on Escape To The Country, joining names such as Jules Hudson, Alistair Appleton, and Melissa Porter to front the show.The TV presenter joined the series in early 2017, helping the public purchase their dream property in rural areas of the UK. After exploring each house, the presenter asks the buyers to guess the asking price before revealing it. However, alongside his TV work, Steve is actually a sportsman at heart and is a former member and captain of the Great Britain wheelchair rugby squad.

Emma Stone just scooped her second Academy Award, winning the Oscar for Best Actress thanks to her role as Bella Baxter in the comedy-sci fi film, Poor Things. Her recent win puts her in the same ranks as Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster as double Best Actress Oscar winners. Emma first won the award in 2017 for her role as Mia in the 2017 musical romance film, La La Land.

The Repair Shop star Dominic Chinea might star in one of the BBC's most beloved programmes, but away from the show he likes to lead a much quieter life. Restoration expert Dominic first joined the BBC One show which sees people's treasured possessions restored to their former glory in 2017 and is a familiar face to viewers. But while he is instantly recognisable to fans of the show, you might not have seen him in too many other TV appearances outside of it as he has a low-key life away from the spotlight, focussing on the work he loves.

EastEnders has been criticised for its depiction of Milton Keynes.The soap aired two special episodes focusing on Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) ahead of her exit from EastEnders. Whitney headed to Milton Keynes to visit her step-mum Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) alongside boyfriend Zack Hudson (James Farrar). It wasn't long until Whitney and Zack ran into trouble with Bianca's neighbours and the children on the estate.

BBC EastEnders viewers were left scratching their heads after watching Whitney Dean's (Shona McGarty) apparent 'final scenes' on the soap. Shona is set to bid farewell to Albert Square and her character Whitney very soon after 15 years on the soap.

For the first time since 2018, a whole new host of celebrities are set to swap their day-to-day lives for the Celebrity Big Brother house. Kickstarting on Monday, 4 March, famous faces including Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Fern Britton have all reportedly signed up for the show. Among those stars allegedly set to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house is Bradley Riches.The 22 year old actor, perhaps best known for his appearance in Netflix’s Heartstopper, where he played James McEwan.

After almost 30 years on the Weatherfield cobbles, Roy Cropper and his beloved cafe Roy's Rolls have become part of the Coronation Street furniture. David Neilson - the actor who plays the loveable character - first landed the job back in 1995, and since then, has been at the centre of many different storylines. From his iconic love affair with the anorak wearing Hayley Cropper - which tragically ended following her death in 2014 - to his later relationship with the widow Cathy Matthews, David's character has become a fan favourite.

Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe share a close bond on-screen and off.

Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) is left in critical condition after a car accident in EastEnders spoilers, can she be saved? In a special episode that takes place across five weeks, Whitney and Zack Hudson (James Farrar) go to visit Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) in Milton Keynes.The pair are met with discontent from two local children, Britney (Lola Campbell) and Taylor. Whitney also tells Bianca about her pregnancy, but asks her to keep it secret from Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) who is struggling to conceive. A few weeks later, still in Milton Keynes, Whitney and Britney start to form a kinship and the youngster comes over for dinner at Bianca’s house.

Patsy Palmer is best known for her portrayal of Bianca Jackson in EastEnders, which she's set to return to, but she's since swapped Albert Square for sunny California.The actress relocated in 2014 with her family, following her exit from EastEnders. Patsy, 51, moved to Malibu 10 years ago with her husband Richard Merkell, 49, and their children; Fenton, 23, Emilia, 22, and Bertie, 13.The family have certainly thrown themselves into California life, having made pals with A-listers and carved out careers in showbiz. Patsy continues to dip in and out of acting - she's briefly reprised her role in EastEnders for some special episodes - and she's works as a DJ too.

EastEnders will be checking in with Bianca Jackson next week on the soap as long-time star Patsy Palmer returns for a brief stint.The star joined the soap as Bianca Jackson in 1993 before leaving in 1999, however she returned in 2008 for six years. Patsy, 51, came back for a brief period in 2019 before leaving EastEnders again in September that year. She will now be reprising her role as Bianca in episodes which will begin airing in March.

Coronation Street star Charlotte Jordan's life is very different to her soap character's, when the cameras stop rolling. She's been playing the fiery Daisy Midgeley on our screens for three years, but off screen, Charlotte – who was recently in tears after a fan's heartwarming gesture – leads a much calmer life. Daisy's turbulent journey on Coronation Street since her arrival in 2020 has seen her becoming step-daughter to the Rovers Return's landlady, Jenny Connor, and finding love with school teacher Daniel Osbourne, whose wife tragically passed away from cancer after giving birth to their son.

Stephen Merchant, known for his comedic brilliance and towering height, has become a household name both on and off screen. With a reported net worth of £26.6 million, he's cemented his status as the UK's richest comedian, surpassing industry heavyweights like Peter Kay and Ricky Gervais.

Julian Miles Holland, better known as Jools Holland, has kept us all entertained with his music and his popular New Year's Eve annual Hootenanny show, as well as his fun personality. Jools became famous after starting his career as a session musician and he was a founding member of the British pop band Squeeze. With his musical background, the BBC star, 66, has given a platform to loads of talent from Adele, David Bowie and Missy Elliot just to name a few.

EastEnders fans were given a startling blast from the past during Tuesday’s (20 February) visit to Albert Square, as Denise Fox sought out advice from serial killer Lucas Johnson to help try and cope with the guilt of having been complicit to Keanu Taylor’s death. As regular viewers will know, Keanu was fatally stabbed to death on Christmas Day by Linda Carter as she tried to stop him from strangling her friend Sharon Watts, but rather than come clean about the crime, Linda, along with the rest of The Six decided to cover up the murder and even buried the body beneath Kathy’s cafe! But in the wake of the harrowing incident, Denise in particular has been struggling with psychosis and even hallucinations of the dead and buried Keanu - and sought advice from her former pastor Lucas who was serving time in prison for multiple murders himself! Yet while Lucas may have had a deadly streak on screen, actor Don Gilet couldn’t be further from his villainous alter-ego.