Shirley Carter
Shirley's tough. She lacks social graces, and if a fight kicks off, you want her on your side.
| First appearance: | 5th December 2006 |
| Address: | 18-20 Albert Square (Kim's Palace) |
| Occupation: | Assistant at McKlunky's |
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.
What you looking at?Shirley Carter
- 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 had the support of her surrogate family, the Mitchells, if they didn't all have Heather's blood on their hands (directly and indirectly)...
When Shirley found out about the Mitchells' betrayal, she was devasted... and Phil asking her to help cover up Ben's dirty secret pushed her that bit too far. She left Phil and drank herself to a stupor, literally in the gutter.
A visit from estranged daughter Carly and her new grandson pulled Shirley back from the brink, and offered her a chance to escape The Square temporarily... but now that she's back, will she keep her mouth shut about Phil's involvement in her best friends murder? And what will she make of Phil's involvement in Lexi's life? Only time will tell...
We'd say it's lucky that she had the support of her surrogate family, the Mitchells, if they didn't all have Heather's blood on their hands (directly and indirectly)...
When Shirley found out about the Mitchells' betrayal, she was devasted... and Phil asking her to help cover up Ben's dirty secret pushed her that bit too far. She left Phil and drank herself to a stupor, literally in the gutter.
A visit from estranged daughter Carly and her new grandson pulled Shirley back from the brink, and offered her a chance to escape The Square temporarily... but now that she's back, will she keep her mouth shut about Phil's involvement in her best friends murder? And what will she make of Phil's involvement in Lexi's life? Only time will tell...
Played by 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!"
