EastEnders star Gillian Wright has spoken about Jean Slater’s reaction to Harvey Monroe and Kathy Cotton’s affair.
Next week will see Cindy Beale expose her mother-in-law’s infidelity to the whole of the Queen Vic, sharing footage of Harvey and Kathy kissing in another of her spiteful moves.
“The truth is there on the screen, but [Jean] doesn’t want to see it,” Wright explained.
“At the moment, she’s angry and hugely betrayed, and justifiably so,” she added. “She feels lonely and scared, and she’s putting on a brave face.”
Wright added that Jean has been struggling following Martin’s death, as she’s “really mourning him” and worrying about the impact of his loss on her daughter Stacey.
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She explained that Jean is “completely oblivious” to the fact that she’s pushed Harvey out and it’s affected their relationship, saying: “I think she absolutely takes that relationship for granted on the assumption that it’s solid.”
The soap star said that she doesn’t think it would occur to Jean that Harvey “would ever be looking at anybody else”.
She added: “The assumption is that he is comfortable with Jean as well, but that they’re just not getting on very well with each other at the moment as they’ve got so much on their plates.”
Before all the drama that Cindy sparks at the Vic, Jean is already shaken after an attempt to propose to Harvey in front of her family backfires, and he leaves without knowing what to say.
Jean later confides in Kathy about the situation – with no knowledge at that point of the affair.
Photographer://BBC
Harvey returns to the Slaters’ house later and apologises, which leads Jean to think he’s accepted her proposal.
“She has very cleverly convinced herself that he hasn’t said no, so she thinks ‘this is it, we’re hunky dory’, but underneath it all, she’s not secure at all,” Wright continued.
“I genuinely think she is clutching at straws because she is starting to flounder, and she’s not on solid ground. Jean thinks if Harvey goes, everything is going to collapse and fall apart.”
While the revelation of the affair is going to be devastating for Jean, Wright said she has really enjoyed performing the storyline.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s had its own little journey of ups and downs, what with Jean being rude to Harvey and him failing her.
“It’s been great, and it’s been really nice to work with Gillian Taylforth because I haven’t had many scenes with Kathy over the years.”
