Shirley Carter

Shirley walked out on Kevin, leaving him to rear the kids alone. Motherly love was something that didn't come naturally. But that doesn't mean she didn't care about her kids. It hurt her deeply when Deano and Carly rejected her and moved away.

• Likes: Drinking alcohol, socialising and Indian food
• Dislikes: Dog racing and reading books
• Music tastes: 80's
• Weaknesses: Has bad cooking skills
• Children: Jimbo (son; deceased), Deano (son) and Carly (daughter)

Luckily, Shirley had her best mate, Hev and baby George to keep her afloat. Hev and Shirl were a Walford staple, and their rendition of Mel & Kim's Respectable at Hev's Hen Night has gone down in the Square's history. Unfortunately, Hev is history too. And Shirley is struggling without her best mate.

We'd say it's lucky that she has the support of her surrogate family, the Mitchells, if they didn't all have Heather's blood on their hands (directly and indirectly)...

Linda Henry

• Before playing Shirley, Linda appeared in EastEnders as Mandy's mum Lorraine Salter, later played by Victoria Alcock.
• Linda's best known for playing inmate Yvonne Atkins in Bad Girls. She also played a different Shirley in Brit gangster flick, The Business.
• She's also appeared in Prime Suspect, A Touch of Frost and Cracker.
• Linda is an animal lover. She has three rescue dogs and enjoys riding horses.
• Kellie Shirley (Carly) says of Linda: "Working with her has been really good. She's so on the ball and really interesting. I'm in awe!"