EastEnders fans brand Whitney exit story 'insulting, gross & unbelievable'

EastEnders fans are expressing frustration with a particular character's actions, wondering if the show's intention is to turn viewers against her. The BBC series is currently delving into the lives of various Walford residents, including members of The Six, Jay Brown, Yolande Trueman, and Whitney Dean.

After visiting Bianca Jackson in Milton Keynes, pregnant Whitney returned to Walford with troubled teen Britney, whom she had grown close to during her trip. Whitney hoped to offer Britney a stable home, away from her mother who struggles with addiction.

Unbeknownst to her partner Zack Hudson, Whitney had paid Britney's mother a substantial sum to gain custody of Britney, believing she had followed proper foster care procedures.

In a recent episode, Britney confided in Zack about feeling "stolen" by Whitney after a challenging day at her new school where she faced bullying. Despite Zack and Britney's objections, Whitney confronted the bully on Britney's behalf, exacerbating the situation.

Lauren Branning, aware of Whitney's actions, urged her to come clean with Zack, but Whitney remained reluctant to confess.

The plot is leading towards Whitney's exit from the show, with actress Shona McGarty departing after portraying the character for 16 years. However, some fans are not happy with the direction of Whitney's departure, feeling that the writers are deliberately making her character less likable.

One took to X: “I wouldn’t mind Lauren and Zach getting together I mean Whitney is exhausting at this point.” Another wrote: “I think they'd made Whitney into a selfish hated character to make it easy for her to leave, and it's about time someone noticed Yolandes spirit was down only took over a week!!”

A fan said it was ‘insulting’ for the show to ‘kill’ the character, saying: “I still cannot fathom how they could do this to Whitney’s character. And believe me… I have outright hated Whitney off and on throughout the years. But this is an insulting & gross & unbelievable thing to do to such a massive character.”