Shona McGarty | |
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Born | Shona Bernadette McGarty 14 October 1991 London Borough of Barnet, England |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2006–present |
Musical career | |
Instrument | Vocals |
Labels | Saga Entertainment |
Shona Bernadette McGarty (born 14 October 1991) is an English actress and singer, known for her portrayal of Whitney Dean in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2008 to 2024.
Shona Bernadette McGarty was born on 14 October 1991 in London Borough of Barnet to Patrick McGarty and Jennifer McNamara. [1] [2] [3] She has a younger sister named Camilla. [4] She is of Irish descent. [5] McGarty attended St. Teresa's Catholic Primary School and later studied at Loreto College, St Albans. [6] [7]
McGarty was involved in amateur musical theatre for six years, including a role in Wizard of Oz . [8] In 2007, she appeared in the short film What Goes Around. [9]
In October 2007, following the announcement that established character Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) was returning to EastEnders , McGarty was confirmed to be joining the soap as Whitney Dean; the daughter of Bianca's deceased partner Nathan Dean. [10] McGarty began filming in January 2008, and made her first appearance as Whitney on 1 April. [11] Early into her tenure, the character of Whitney was involved in a sexual abuse storyline in which she was groomed by Bianca's partner Tony King. McGarty who was 16 at the time, required her parents to give permission for the storyline to go ahead. [12] In July 2012, McGarty was suspended from EastEnders by the acting executive producer Lorraine Newman "for repeatedly being late for filming". [13] McGarty later regretted her behaviour as "lazy and irresponsible". [14] The same year, McGarty performed the song A Change is Gonna Come for Children in Need 2012 . [15] [16] McGarty's other storylines included being sexually exploited by Rob Grayson (Jody Latham), her marriage to Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard) and subsequent miscarriage, being stalked by Leo King (Tom Wells) which leads to her killing him in self-defence, and being impregnated by Zack Hudson (James Farrar), before discovering the baby has Edwards syndrome and omphalocele, which ultimately leads to her to terminating the pregnancy. [17] [18] [19] [20]
In 2018, McGarty joined 26 other celebrities and performed an original Christmas song, "Rock With Rudolph", a song written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. The song was recorded in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital and was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment on 30 November 2018 under the artist name the Celebs. The music video debuted with The Sun on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018. [21] [22] [23] In 2021, McGarty reunited with Saga Entertainment to record a cover of the Beatles song "Let It Be", recorded at Metropolis Studios, in support of British charity Mind and released on 3 December 2021. McGarty was backed by a choir of celebrities including Georgia Hirst, Anne Hegerty, Ivan Kaye and Eunice Olumide, who performed as part of the 2021 line up of the Celebs. [24] [25] [26]
In July 2023, McGarty announced her departure from EastEnders after fifteen years. [27] In an interview with The Sun , McGarty said she "had decided to spread [her] wings and [would] be leaving EastEnders, whilst adding that she had "loved [her] years in the show." [28] Her final scenes are set to air in 2024, following the end of her contract. [29]
McGarty was in a relationship with her EastEnders co-star Matt Lapinskas from 2011 to 2013. [30] Between 2018 and 2020, McGarty was engaged to long-term partner Ryan Harris. [31] [32] In 2022, McGarty dated her EastEnders co-star Max Bowden for six months. [33]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | What Goes Around | Shona | Short film | [9] |
2008–2024 | EastEnders | Whitney Dean | Regular role | [10] |
2010 | East Street | Charity special | [34] | |
2011 | Lauren's Diary | 2 episodes | [35] | |
2012 | Children in Need 2012 | Herself | Performer [15] [16] | [36] |
2020 | The Queen Vic Quiz Night | Whitney Dean | Charity special | [37] |
2020 | EastEnders: Secrets from the Square | Herself | Episode: "Whitney and Sonia" | [38] |
Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Rock With Rudolph | Herself | [21] [22] |
2021 | Let It Be | Herself | [24] [25] [26] |
Year | Title | Ref. |
---|---|---|
2012 | "A Change is Gonna Come" | [39] |
2018 | "Rock With Rudolph" (with the Celebs) | [40] |
2021 | "Let It Be" (featuring the Celebs) | [41] |
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | British Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | Nominated | [42] |
2009 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Young Actor | Nominated | [43] |
2014 | 2014 British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [44] |
2014 | Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [45] |
2015 | Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [46] |
2016 | Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [47] |
2017 | 22nd National Television Awards | Serial Drama Performance | Nominated | [48] |
2017 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [49] |
2017 | Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [49] |
2018 | 23rd National Television Awards | Serial Drama Performance | Nominated | [50] |
2020 | 25th National Television Awards | Serial Drama Performance | Nominated | [51] |
2020 | TV Choice Awards | Best Soap Actress | Nominated | [52] |
2020 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [53] |
2020 | I Talk Telly Awards | Best Soap Performance | Nominated | [54] |
2021 | 26th National Television Awards | Serial Drama Performance | Nominated | [55] |
2021 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [56] |
2023 | 2023 British Soap Awards | Best Leading Performer | Nominated | [57] |
2023 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [58] |
2023 | Digital Spy Reader Awards | Best Actor | Fifth | [59] |
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Whitney Dean is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shona McGarty. The character is the ward of long-running character Bianca Jackson and was introduced on 1 April 2008 when Palmer returned to the series after a nine-year absence. Whitney is described by executive producer Diederick Santer as both an equal to, and younger version of Bianca, and is the oldest of Bianca's four children. Whitney was absent from the soap across four weeks in 2012 when McGarty was suspended for repeated lateness. McGarty took a short break in 2017 and Whitney departed on 29 May and returned on 31 July of that year. On 1 June 2018, McGarty filmed her 1,000th episode as Whitney. On 29 July 2023, it was announced that McGarty had resigned from her role after fifteen years, and Whitney departed from the soap on 23 May 2024.
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