Former EastEnders star Shona McGarty has been reflecting on working with late soap legend June Brown.
June, best known for her role as Dot Cotton in the show, died at the age of 95 back in 2022.
The star died at her home in Surrey with her family by her side, with an EastEnders spokesperson paying tribute to the iconic actress.
The statement at the time read: ‘We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved June Brown, OBE, MBE, sadly passed away last night.
‘There are not enough words to describe how much June was loved and adored by everyone at EastEnders, her loving warmth, wit and great humour will never be forgotten.
‘June created one of the most iconic characters in Dot Cotton, not just in soap but in British television, and having appeared in 2,884 episodes, June’s remarkable performances created some of EastEnders’ finest moments.’
They added: ‘We send all our love and deepest sympathies to June’s family and friends. A very bright light has gone out at EastEnders today but we shall all be raising a sweet sherry in June’s memory Rest in peace, our dearest June. You will never be forgotten.’
June’s impact on the soap world continues to be spoken about to this day. Recently, Shona – aka Whitney Dean – opened up about working with the actress.
‘She was Whitney’s step-grandma, so working with her was always brilliant’, she said on the Tis Yourself podcast.
‘She used to say to me, “If you want to know how to get to my age, a handful of nuts a day will keep the doctor away.’
‘And I never knew what she meant by that. And as an adult, I’m like, “Oh, I’m not sure if she was trying to be funny”. But, you know, that’s what I live by now. Maybe I need to take that on board.’
Noting June’s smoking habit, Shona added: ‘She smoked so many cigarettes. And she reckons that’s what kept her going. I suppose it’s always synonymous with watching her. I remember them coming in and she’d have a cigarette and they come in and they clip it.
‘They make it the same length in every take. But by this time, she’d have smoked about 80 fags. And she used to wear this iconic perfume. I think it was called Fifth Avenue. And you could smell her down the corridors.
‘You’d know she was in. And she was just so lovely. And I remember being 16 and new to the show. And she gave me a little snowglobe and it had Dorothy in it. I’ve still got that.’
Shona left her role as Whitney Dean earlier this year.
After discovering partner Zack (James Farrar) had slept with best mate Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa), Whitney left Walford for a new life alongside adopted daughter Britney, and baby Dolly.
