Kellie Bright has said that her EastEnders character Linda has resigned herself to having lost her first love Mick (Danny Dyer) for good.
Following her battle with alcoholism and infidelity, Mick and Linda split for good last Christmas and Mick got into a new relationship with Janine (Charlie Brooks).
In tonight's episode, Mick went through with his wedding to a pregnant Janine after a heart-to-heart with Linda, who encouraged him to pursue happiness.
"There's a lot of self-loathing with Linda," said Bright, who is marking nine years on the soap this Christmas. "She's an alcoholic, she's in recovery, and I think she'd be looking at her part in everything that happened up to now.
"So as much as she can't stand Janine and she does blame her for an awful lot, Linda will also be going 'I brought this on myself. At the end of the day, I drove my car with my baby inside, drunk as a skunk, and I could have killed her. I could have killed us both, so I deserve this. I don't deserve Mick.'"
She continued: "Linda's world has crumbled, it's in tatters, but I think she's resigned to it. From the moment she knew Mick and Janine were having a baby together, that was it because Linda knew Mick was never going to walk away from a child.
"The baby changes everything no matter what she thinks or says about Janine. Before the wedding, Linda had already let Mick go, but there is a shock and finality of Janine being the new Mrs Carter. That's what Linda has always been, so it's another turn of the knife."
EastEnders continues on BBC One on Christmas Day at 9.25pm, which will mark Dyer's final episode of the soap.
Neil Wilkes
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