EastEnders newcomer Kitty Castledine praises soap for ‘highlighting the challenges disabled people face’

EastEnders star Kitty Castledine praised the soap for highlighting the challenges ‘disabled’ people face.

The actor’s character Penny Branning was left paralysed from the waist down after being run over by one of her father Jack Branning’s (Scott Maslen) criminal associates.

Kitty – who is the daughter of Homes Under The Hammer host Lucy Alexander – opened up about Penny’s accessibility challenges in Albert Square.

She said: ‘Not everything is accessible in life. And it’s awful, it needs to change.’

Kitty added to The Mirror: ‘It’s really important that disability is visible on screen, because there hasn’t been a lot of representation, and I’m proud to be someone representing disability.

‘Things have been getting better but there is still lots of room to improve.’

Penny made her EastEnders debut on New Year’s Day with Louie in tow, and dad Jack was thrilled to see them both.

However, in tonight’s episode he was quick to note the absence of niece Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), and soon Penny explained their eventful arrival into the UK.

Viewers will know that Lauren was caught smuggling drugs into the country, but appeared to have known nothing about the illegal substances that were pulled out of her bag.

As Penny confided the information in Jack, he rushed off to the station to get more information, assuring Penny that Lauren was likely innocent as he had heard of numerous cases where fellow passengers had planted drugs with the aim of retrieving them on the other side of customs.

However, while Jack was away, Penny received a call from associate Juliette, and as they spoke it became clear what had really happened.

Penny was quick to reveal that she had ‘done this sort of switch dozens of times’ and that Lauren was just unlucky to have been caught.