Linda Carter’s murderous reign as landlady of The Queen Vic in EastEnders

Linda Carter is not having a good time of late!

In fact, she said herself, her whole life has fallen apart.

In just over a year, she’s lost Mick – the love of her life – seen her rapist Dean saunter back on to the Square and murdered Keanu Taylor! It’s no surprise that she’s turned back to drink for comfort.

So what’s Linda’s story?

Who is Linda Carter?

Linda has been in EastEnders since she and husband Mick bought the Queen Vic from Phil Mitchell.

But what was supposed to be a happy home for the Carter family, has been the scene of a lot of heartache!

Linda has seen many dramas in her time in Walford from being raped by her brother-in-law Dean Wicks to dealing with alcoholism.

She had a romance with Max Branning and had baby Annie, supported husband Mick through the memories of his abuse as a child, and welcomed his daughter Frankie into their family.

She’s spent the last year grieving for Mick who vanished, presumed drowned, after plunging into the English Channel to rescue Linda.

AND as if all that wasn’t enough to be dealing with, she came face to face with Dean again, as he showed up in Walford and bought a business with Ian and Cindy Beale.

That’s all before you get to the events of Christmas Day when Linda became a murderer!

Who plays Linda Carter in EastEnders?

Linda Carter is played by accomplished actress Kellie Bright.

She played Del Boy Trotter’s mum Joan in Only Fools and Horses spin-off series Rock & Chips. She also starred as Cassie Tyler in Bad Girls, and as Joanna Burrows in sit-com The Upper Hand.

And she starred as Julie alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in Ali G In Da House.

In 2015, Kellie reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing with her partner Kevin Clifton. But they were pipped to the glitterball trophy by Jay McGuinness and Aliona Vilani.

Kellie is married to Paul Stocker and the couple have three children.

What happened with Linda Carter and Dean Wicks in EastEnders?

Linda took centre-stage in the Carter family storylines when she was raped by Shirley’s son Dean.

In hard-hitting scenes, Dean raped Linda and the troubled landlady tried to cope alone.

She discovered she was pregnant and was terrified the baby would be rapist Dean’s and not Mick’s.

Mick proposed on Christmas Day and Linda turned him down – much to his surprise.

She eventually told her husband the truth about what had happened – that Dean had raped her.

Though Dean tried to claim that he and Linda had an affair, Mick was supportive and the pair began planning their wedding.

Linda was upset when the police said they wouldn’t charge Dean due to a lack of evidence, but she was relieved when baby Ollie was born and it turned out that Mick was the little lad’s dad after all.

The end of Dean?

When Mick and Linda tied the knot finally, at a posh hotel with a lake in the grounds, things looked good for the Carters until Dean turned up.

He and Mick had a dramatic confrontation which ended up with Dean almost drowning. Mick could have left him to die, but instead he resuscitated the rapist, wanting him to face justice.

In the end, though, Dean went on trial for attempted rape of his then-girlfriend Roxy Mitchell, and was acquitted.

Now Dean’s back! He’s been tormenting poor Linda by forcing her to ‘confess’ that she lied about the rape. Though he does seem to have finally accepted he was in the wrong.

But since he admitted that to Linda – and she responded by giving him a good kicking – his vendetta has ramped up again!

Linda’s fight for justice for Mick

When Stuart Highway came to Walford, Linda didn’t like him. And she was right not to trust him because Stuart caused all sorts of problems for her family.

Mick urged Linda to let Stuart be, because he’d taken the rap for Mick when they were kids and had gone to a young offenders’ institute. Linda agreed.

But Stuart roped Mick into his hobby of hunting paedophiles and thanks to some mistaken identities and Stuart being out for revenge, Mick ended up in prison charged with shooting Stuart.

Stuart had actually shot himself and framed Mick.

Determined to prove Mick’s innocence, Linda went to great lengths to trick Stuart into thinking they were a couple.

She even went as far as to seduce Stuart, and secretly recorded him confessing to his crime.

When did Linda’s alcoholism start?

After Mick was released from prison, Linda began drinking as a way of coping with stress.

Her drinking became more problematic and even caused her t0 get mixed up in the Mitchells’ revenge on Keanu Taylor when she helped Martin Fowler stage Keanu’s murder.

Things spiralled out of control for Linda and in a highly acclaimed New Year’s Eve episode the action followed the troubled mother as she got drunk at Karen Taylor’s party, and ended up in a hotel room with a stranger.

Linda asked Mick for a divorce and it seemed it was over for the Carters.

But at the celebratory boat party in the show’s 35th anniversary episode, Linda was trapped when the boat crashed.

Mick rescued his wife and the pair rebuilt their relationship – for a while.

What happened with Linda and Max Branning?

When Frankie Lewis turned up in Walford, looking for Mick, who she thought was her dad, she started more drama for the Carter family.

It turned out Frankie’s mum, Katy, had abused Mick when he was a child.

Mick’s own struggle to cope with the memories stirred up by Frankie’s appearance meant he couldn’t share his troubles with Linda.

Feeling rejected, and unaware of what Mick was going through, Linda turned to Max Branning for a shoulder to cry on. He’s the father of L’s daughter, Annie, though he doesn’t know about it.

But with Lauren back in Walford and shocked to discover she’s got a new baby sister, that could all be about to change!

Linda the murderer!

After months of speculation, Linda was revealed to be the Christmas murderer.

More or less!

We’re sure we don’t need to remind you but on Christmas Day we saw Denise whack Nish over the head with a broken bottle as he attacked Suki in The Queen Vic.

And as Nish lay unconscious, Keanu Taylor – who’d been jilted at the alter earlier that day – burst in, furious with Sharon after he’d found out that Albie wasn’t his son.

He went for Sharon and as he was strangling her – trying to get to the little lad – Linda stabbed him.

With the other five women who make up the now iconic Six, Linda hid Keanu’s body under the floorboards in the derelict cafe.

But Linda’s falling apart, crippled with grief, and back on the booze.

How much longer can she keep her secret?