29 August 2023 , 17:00
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There's no denying that Letitia Dean is an EastEnders legend, having been on the soap (on and off) since 1985. The 55-year-old actress has played Sharon Watts for more than 30 years, with her character having some incredibly dramatic storylines in that time - from getting involved in a love triangle with Phil and Grant Mitchell to becoming the landlady of the Queen Vic and more recently having an affair with the much younger Keanu Taylor.
Off the screen, Letitia's life is much less turbulent than Sharon's is, with the TV star having been born in Hertfordshire and attending dance school with her brother as a child, before enrolling at the Italia Conti Academy Theatre Arts at 10 years old, and later attending the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. Her professional career began at the young age of 12, when she was cast in the role of Pepper in Annie at the Victoria Palace Theatre.
The actress first started on EastEnders in 1985 (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
She's struggled with intense public scrutiny over the years (Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock)She's since gone on to star in numerous shows including Love Story, Relative Strangers, Grange Hill and Brookside, before landing the part of Sharon in the original cast of EastEnders. The soap's creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith were looking for a "bouncy, attractive, oddly vulnerable young woman" to play Sharon - and saw all of those qualities in Letitia. Despite falsely claiming she had been brought up in Hackney as the bosses wanted real East End actors, she secured the part of Dirty Den and Angie Watts' spoilt adopted daughter.
But while she achieved success on the show, in her personal life, she struggled to adapt to her new-found fame and sudden criticism of her appearance. Letitia quickly lost a lot of confidence after vile trolls shared nasty comments about her looks and weight. She was forced to make the agonising decision to undergo a breast reduction procedure while she was still a teenager.
While there were also medical reasons that she chose to go under the knife, Letitia admitted that vile remarks from members of the public contributed to her decision. "Backache had a lot to do with that decision too" she told Hello! magazine in October 2001. "But I was a lot less secure about myself and there was a lot of focus on how I looked. Occasionally, the attention on my appearance still bothers me - it bothers all women, doesn't it? - but I have those things in perspective nowadays. My work is part of my life but it's not everything and, no matter what you do or how you look, you can't please everybody."
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After featuring in iconic storylines such as 'Sharongate', with her character's affair with husband Grant Mitchell's brother Phil being exposed, she left the soap in 1995. But she was lured back just six years later for another stint, reportedly becoming one of the highest paid actresses in British soap.
She left once again in 2006 and starred in the 2007 series of Strictly Come Dancing, but her confidence struggles never went away. After years of dieting and self-esteem issues, Letitia decided to embark on an exercise regime with the trainer who had helped Letitia's fellow EastEnders mates Charlie Brooks and Natalie Cassidy to shed pounds. "I just woke up one morning, and I'd had enough," Letitia told the Daily Record in 2009.
"For years and years - as long as I can remember - my weight had yo-yoed up and down. I'd go on fad diets like Atkins or I'd only eat eggs. The effect was great, even if my breath did smell foul. I'd lose a stone in a couple of weeks, but gradually I'd slip back into my old ways and put it all on again. I'm five feet two and I'd always drift back over 10 stone. In the end, I just got bored with it. It was time to take myself in hand once and for all."
Letitia was presented an Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards in 2022 (Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)As well as agonising decisions and a loss of confidence, Letitia has also suffered heartbreak over the years, with her marriage to a fellow actor, Jason Pethers, crumbling as she reportedly wanted children at the time but he wasn't ready. Jason, who had roles in EastEnders and Holby City previously, popped the question to Letitia in 2001 and they married in September 2002, with many EastEnders co-stars in attendance at All Saints' Church in Marylebone.
The pair later separated in 2007, with Jason's mother explaining the reason for their split to the Mirror. Joan Pethers admitted that the separation had left Letitia, 39, heartbroken. She said: "They both wanted children but Jason wanted to wait until he could afford it. She had a lot more money than him. I think, like any man, he wanted to look after his wife. They were happy. It was no dramatic thing - they haven't found someone else. I guess they just fell out of love for the time being." Since their split, Letitia hasn't gone public with any other romances.
In addition to this loss, Letitia has also endured the heartbreak and loss of her parents, with the actress opening up about her father's death when being presented an award for outstanding achievement at the British Soap Awards in 2022. Taking to the stage, Letitia was overcome with emotion as she revealed that she was dedicating her award to her dad. "I lost my daddy a week ago so this is for him. I hope he is proud," she said. "This is for my daddy and my darling mummy, I hope you're enjoying your fish and chips."