EastEnders fans brand Whitney Dean’s exit episode ‘worst ever’ but I couldn't disagree more

Shona announced in December last year that she was leaving the BBC soap and her storyline has been full of ups and downs leading up to her final exit scenes.

Over the past few weeks Whitney has had a baby girl, found out that her husband-to-be Zack Hudson (James Farrar) had slept with her maid-of-honour Lauren Branning and her adoptive mum Bianca Jackson knew about the infidelity but kept it a secret. Phew no wonder she decided to leave Albert Square. 

The BBC aired Whitney’s big exit on Thursday - an episode Shona McGarty confirmed she won't watch till the weekend. After a brief leaving party at the Queen Vic Whitney walked through the market street with everyone clapping and wishing her the best of luck for her future. Along with her two daughters, she got on the bus destined for a new life in Wakefield. 

Britney looks up at her mum as the theme tune softly plays in the background and says “We gonna be alright?” and Whitney replies “we’ll figure something out….we always do.”. There’s no ‘duff duff moment it just ends and I am in floods of tears!! 

However, fans of the soap took to social media and branded the exit “worst ever”. One fan wrote on X: “Shona McGarty’s final episode might quite possibly be one of the worst episodes I’ve ever endured.” Another added: “#EastEnders this is possibly up there with the worst ending especially for Whitney.”

Surprisingly I’m not an EastEnders fan. I have been following the Whitney exit story over the last few weeks and a few months ago I would never have sat down to watch an episode. But I did and for some reason started to feel more and more invested in Whitney’s story. Asking myself ‘How will she leave, what will happen to Zack and is Bianca staying in Walford?’

The reason I became so invested was because of the actress Shona McGarty who played Whitney. She's an absolutely amazing actress and singer (see her Remembrance performance at the Royal Albert Hall and thank me later) . I’m now fully invested in what she will do next, especially now that she's rumoured to be joining the lineup for Strictly Come Dancing. 

I think EastEnders fans dubbed it the “worst exit ever” because it ended up being a happy ending for a change. Fans would’ve been happier if she was hit by the bus on the way to her new life and died because that would have been more dramatic. 

Leaving the door open for Whitney to return to Albert Square is the best idea ever and gives hope to all of the EastEnders fans that love her - I now include myself in that group. 

Natalie Dixon is NationalWorld’s Lifestyle reporter. If you liked this article and want to read more about soaps, celebrities and lifestyle you can follow Natalie Dixon on X here. 

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