Some of the most well-liked characters on EastEnders have been given exit announcements in the near future, but one of them apparently already has a new job lined up with ITV.
Shona McGarty, who plays Whitney Dean in EastEnders, is reportedly joining the upcoming season of Dancing in Ice, which will take place on an ice rink instead of the streets of Walford.
After 15 years, it was reported last week that Shona was leaving the BBC serial opera. Now, it has come to light that the 31-year-old actress would be appearing in ITV’s well-known competition series.
According to a source on the reality programme, “Shona is a great name for Dancing On Ice and she is on ITV’s wish-list.”
They said, in their interview with The Sun, “She is a huge talent and a very well-known name, and to walk off EastEnders and straight onto their rival channel’s biggest show would be a huge coup.”
The final episodes of the venerable soap opera will air the following year, and Dancing on Ice typically premieres in January.
ITV has been contacted by Express.co.uk for comment regarding the alleged cast.
Shona recently declared her intention to “spread my wings” and leave her beloved EastEnders character behind.
She joined the BBC soap opera in 2008 as the troubled adolescent daughter of Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), and she has been through some of the dramatisations’ most dramatic plots.
Shona gave The Sun an explanation of why she felt it was time to move on, saying: “I have decided to expand my wings and will be leaving EastEnders. My time on the show has been fantastic.
“I have been trusted with some incredible storylines and have made amazing friendships — and family — which will endure.”
It wasn’t an easy choice for Shona to make, and she’s devastated to be leaving her soap family—especially since she grew up on set with most of them—as another source informed the publication. The cast will sincerely miss her.
However, she believes that this is the ideal time in her life to make a change and try something new.
The writers will ultimately decide how Whitney will leave the show, but the 31-year-old is “hoping the door will be left open for her character to return one day,” they continued.
Could the actress participate in Dancing on Ice the next year to hasten her comeback to the big screen?
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