WOW….It’s Whitney as you’ve never seen her before
Shona McGarty is normally seen in more casual attire as her on-screen alter-ego Whitney Dean.
However the EastEnders actress, 19, stepped it up a notch when she showed up at ITV studios earlier today looking sophisticated in a fitted nude dress.
The actress showed off toned legs with the short skirt, with the more modest ruffled top keeping the look classy.
Her make-up was also somewhat different, with subtle smoked out eyes in place of her usual harsh eyeliner.
In a controversial plot line this year, Shona’s character Whitney Dean has been the victim of evil ex-boyfriend Rob (played by Jody Latham) who is a pimp.
Having been forced into prostitution by Rob, Whitney escapes his clutches for a while, but can’t escape the feeling that she hasn’t seen the last of him.
The experience of playing Whitney at this time has clearly affected Shona.
Speaking to Soaplife magazine, she explained: ‘When I researched the whole area of sex exploitation I found out that these are organised crimes and victims often end up staying with the perpetrators because they fear for the safety of family members.’
The prostitution story line builds to a dramatic climax in Southend, also involving Whitney’s half brother Ryan Malloy, played by Neil McDermott, who is leaving the show.
This has been another emotional experience for Shona, who revealed to Digital Spy: ‘In Ryan’s last scene, Whitney is absolutely devastated and she cannot stop crying. But I felt the same way and when they called ‘cut’, I couldn’t stop crying! I was in hysterics – I was so upset.’
