LINDA Carter has been left fighting for her life in tonight’s episode of EastEnders.
The alcoholic landlady – who is played by actress Kellie Bright in the BBC soap – has been pushed to
breaking point by a revenge plot from Bernie Taylor. Sign up for the EastEnders newsletter
Viewers know Bernie had been working with Dean Wicks to expose Linda’s lies about Keanu Taylor’s death – but after Dean got what he wanted, he abandoned Bernie to her own devices.
And in today’s episode she pushed Linda too far.
After hearing Sharon and Johnny clashing about Linda’s drinking and being pulled off the witness list, Bernie got an evil glint in her eye.
And with Johnny leaving Linda under the watchful eye of Gina, he went to see the prosecution lawyer in an attempt to get her to reconsider dropping Linda.
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However while he was gone, Gina kept Linda feeling up and got her to help in the kitchen, away from the booze.
And then Bernie struck.
Determined to get Linda to crack and confess what she knew, she pretended to be distraught at Dean potentially walking free and insisted she needed a drink.
Revealing a full bottle of vodka, she poured Linda drink after drink and tried to get her to tell her what happened with Keanu at Christmas.
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She kept the pressure up until Linda was near breaking point – until Johnny walked in horrified to see Linda drunk again.
Later Linda carried on drinking upstairs and Johnny had had enough.
EastEnders sees history repeating itself with Linda Carter following Angie Watts’ spiral with drinking
After telling her she was back on the witness list and that he was sending her to rehab, Linda turned nasty, blaming Johnny for her latest relapse.
“Look at yourself,” Johnny shouted at her.
“No wonder you and dad fell apart. He should’ve left you years ago and enjoyed some happiness.
“I wish it was you who died, and not him.”
His words and Bernie’s guilt-tripping hit Linda hard and she hit the bottle again.
But later after Sharon arrived and gave Johnny a pep talk, he went to apologise to his mum – and found
Linda Carter’s biggest EastEnders storylines
Linda arrived on the Square on Boxing Day in 2013, along with her husband Mick (Danny Dyer) and has been a hit with soap fans ever since.
Her first storylines revolved around the fact that she struggled to come to terms that her son Johnny is gay
In a storyline that had long-lasting repercussions, she was then raped by Mick’s brother Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo).
She fell pregnant shortly after and then was left devastated emotionally when she gave birth to a premature baby after falling down the stairs.
Things soon got worse for Linda after she discovered that her husband Mick kissed their daughter-in-law Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), who was married to their veteran son Lee (Danny Hatchard).
One of her more memorable storylines was when she was accused of perverting the course of justice. This was after Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) is shot and she was falsely accused of attempted murder.
Over the years she has suffered from a variety of illnesses and disorders which include bulimia, alcoholism, and a secret battle with cervical cancer. After she gave birth to her youngest son Ollie (Harry Farr), she also had to deal with his autism diagnosis.
Although she and Mick seemed to be the perfect couple, the pair split up for a short time after she had an affair with Max Branning (Jake Wood). This lead to another pregnancy.
However, the pair finally got divorced after Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) set her eyes on Mick. She wanted the landlord all to herself and she lured Linda rival back into alcoholism to drive a wedge between them.
After this led to Mick’s apparent death at sea, she struggled to adjust to life without her ex-husband and the true love of her life. This was just after the pair decided to have another go at their relationship.
Recently, Linda was the person who was at the very centre during ‘The Six’ storyline. She tried to save her best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) when she was being strangled by Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). When she killed him with a meat thermometer, the group framed her rapist Dead Wicks after he returned to the square. Since then, she has struggled to cope.
Hearing Johnny shouting, Gina rushed in and put Linda into the recovery position and told Johnny to call an ambulance as he just stood in shock.
Will Linda survive? Or has it all become too much for her?
