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.