EastEnders’ Linda star Kellie Bright had forgotten Only Fools and Horses role
EastEnders actress Kellie Bright has been a regular on our screens for many years, but some fans may not know that she also starred in Only Fools prequel Rock and Chips
EastEnders fans might not know that Kellie Bright had a role in the Only Fools and Horses prequel.
The soap star has been at the heart of some of the soap’s most dramatic storylines since joining the cast in December 2019. Playing the role of legendary Linda Carter, her character has faced numerous trials, including a sexual assault by Dean Wicks, a doomed marriage to Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), and a battle with alcoholism.
Linda’s most recent turmoil came late last year when she was involved in the murder of Keanu Taylor. However, Kellie’s acting career extends beyond Albert Square as appeared in several popular TV shows and films, including Only Fools and Horses, which aired its final Christmas special nearly two decades ago in 2003.
In the prequel to Only Fools, Rock And Chips, Kellie played Joan Trotter, mother to Del Boy and Rodney Trotter, who tragically passed away when the brothers were young. The series aired in 2010 until the following year and starred original Rodney actor Nicholas Lyndhurst.
Kellie’s television credits also include her iconic role as Cassie Tyler in Bad Girls (2002), Julie in Ali G In Da House (2002), Lisa Squire in The House That Jack Built (2002). In addition to this, she also played the role of WPC Penny Collins in Jericho (2005), among others.
One of her earliest roles was in the TV series T-Bag and the Revenge of the T-Set in 1989. But in 2015 Kellie took a break from acting and appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The actress appeared in the thirteenth series of the hit dance show in 2015. Partnered with professional dancer Kevin Clifton, she was described by head late judge Len Goodman as a “great all round dancer” and came runner up.
Speaking about her major storyline where she was revealed to be Keanu’s killer in EastEnders, Kellie told The One Show she didn’t expect the story to play out the way it did. She said: “I was really surprised, I did not see it coming at all. I thought I’d be the last person that would do it.
“When it was explained to me how it was going to happen, I went: ‘Okay, I can sort of see.’ She [Linda] doesn’t intend to kill him, she’s stopping him from killing her best friend.”
She continued: “A moment of desperation, madness, chaos, a lot happened that day. It’s EastEnders, it’s Christmas Day, of course a lot happened – it all built to this moment! I did think, I’ve been on the show for ten years now, I thought it was a brilliant episode and I was very proud to be a part of it.”
