Shona McGarty

Shona Bernadette McGarty (born 14 October 1991) is an English actress and singer, known for her portrayal of Whitney Dean in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2008 to 2024.

[11] Early into her tenure, the character of Whitney was involved in a sexual abuse storyline in which she was groomed by Bianca's partner Tony King.

[15][16] McGarty's other storylines included being sexually exploited by Rob Grayson (Jody Latham), her marriage to Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard) and subsequent miscarriage, being stalked by Leo King (Tom Wells) which leads to her killing him in self-defence, and being impregnated by Zack Hudson (James Farrar), before discovering the baby has Edwards syndrome and omphalocele, which ultimately leads to her to terminating the pregnancy.

McGarty was backed by a choir of celebrities including Georgia Hirst, Anne Hegerty, Ivan Kaye and Eunice Olumide, who performed as part of the 2021 line up of the Celebs.

[27] In an interview with The Sun, McGarty said she "had decided to spread [her] wings and [would] be leaving EastEnders, whilst adding that she had "loved [her] years in the show.

McGarty in November 2011