‘Unbearable’: EastEnders icon Kellie Bright reveals ‘worst possible thing’ happens to Linda Carter
Linda Carter’s (Kellie Bright) whole world was turned upside down on Christmas Day, when she murdered Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) in shocking EastEnders scenes.
In the weeks that have followed, she has spiralled further and slipped rapidly back into the clutches of alcoholism.
‘She has been leaning into her alcoholism and I think it’s safe to say that she’s drinking every day to numb herself,’ actress Kellie Bright explained. ‘I don’t think she’s coping. I think if anything, she is looking for things to make her feel better and not necessarily in the right places.’
This has left the rest of The Six terrified that she may end up cracking and spilling their secret, after they all agreed to cover for her and helped to hide the body.
In upcoming scenes, things are set to get even worse for Linda and The Six when they learn that the café floor may need replacing after a leak.
With Keanu buried underneath the concrete, the news sends The Six into a panic, and leaves an already crumbling Linda feeling even worse, as Kellie explained.
‘Linda is carrying a huge amount of guilt. Not just for what she’s done to Keanu, but also what she’s doing to all of these other women.
‘Kathy’s had to put Rocky in jail. Sharon’s disappeared and as far as Linda is concerned, she hates her. Stacey keeps on telling her to pull herself together and she can’t, and Linda knows that the last thing Stacey wants is to end up in prison.
‘Denise is losing her grip on reality and Suki is having to deal with Nish, and hand over everything she has ever worked for.
‘I think she’s watching everyone disintegrate and Linda is so laden with the responsibility and guilt for all of them.
‘When there’s a problem with the café floor, it’s just the icing on the cake. I think she believes there is something inherently bad about her, and I think she thinks that bad things are going to keep happening to her.
‘It’s terrifying and awful, and obviously the panic sets in, but in some ways Linda thinks it’s inevitable.’
As if things aren’t bad enough for poor Linda, Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) makes a sudden reappearance in Albert Square, looking for answers about her son’s disappearance.
Though Linda tries to avoid her, it doesn’t take Karen long to track her down and demand an audience about the events of Christmas Day.
‘Being faced with Keanu’s mother is probably about the worst thing that could happen to Linda, especially on the day that she arrives. I think she finds the whole encounter absolutely unbearable and it just pushes her further and further towards the edge.’
Her turmoil only drives Linda to the bottle once again, with things slowly growing out of control.
However, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) soon realise that something isn’t right, but their intervention ends in a huge showdown.
‘I think Linda thinks she’s got it under control. I think she thinks “it helps me get through my day” and that everyone else has got the problem, not her. I also think she thinks she can hide it much better than she can.
‘Poor Kathy, she is trying to be the voice of reason. If you imagine an elastic band that is stretched to its absolute capacity, that is Linda Carter, every minute of every day. That’s how she’s living her life. The only thing that is relieving any of that tension is the drink, except of course it’s making everything worse but in her head, and in those moments, that’s what it appears to do for Linda.’
