Eastenders – Linda Carter’s alcoholism storyline explained

EASTENDERS’ Linda Carter is at the centre of a dark storyline tackling alcohol addiction.

The much-loved landlady’s reliance on the bottle is ripping her family apart – but what’s next for Linda on the BBC One soap?

Why is Linda drinking in EastEnders?

It first became clear that Linda had a problem when she struggled to deal with her son Ollie’s autism diagnosis.

On top of this, viewers have watched her struggle with husband Mick’s panic attacks and last summer she feared her cancer had returned after an ‘abnormal’ smear test result.

The pub landlady suffered further upset when she failed to make friends with other mums at the school gate.

Whilst Mick has been failing to tackle the issue, Shirley has refused to accept Linda’s passing of the blame to anyone apart from herself.

This week, when Linda passed out on the kitchen table as smoke billowed out of the oven, Shirley was furious with her for putting Ollie in danger.

Shirley dragged Linda to the bath and sprayed her with cold water, screaming “you are not the first woman to be raped, you are not the first woman to have cancer.

“This is not Mick’s fault. This is not Ollie’s fault. This is all your doing. When you were passed out like a tramp Ollie climbed onto the roof.”

It could be that a string of traumatic events have taken it’s toll on Linda.

She was raped by her brother-in-law Dean back in 2014, and was later diagnosed with cancer.

Linda took a break to fight the illness and was shocked when she returned to find Mick had developed feelings for their daughter-in-law Whitney.

She suffered further heartbreak when Ollie was diagnosed with autism and the school mums looked down on her for being an older mum.

Plus, Mick being framed and jailed meant Linda had to pretend to befriend arch nemesis Stuart in order to prove Mick’s innocence.

It’s fair to say things haven’t been easy for Mrs Carter.

What has happened to Linda so far?

Things took a dark turn when Linda was arrested after taking Ollie to school hungover.

The alcoholic was quick to drive off after backing into a car – but later the police turned up and breathalysed Linda, slapping her with a nine-month driving ban.

Linda’s drinking was quick to escalate and viewers were horrified when she woke up in hospital on Christmas Day after passing out drunk in the freezing Square.

Fans later discovered she was embroiled in Martin Fowler’s crime as he prepared to do away with Keanu which was shown in a special flash back New Year’s Day episode.

Eastenders told the New Year’s Eve episode entirely from Linda’s perspective and viewers were shocked as she was seen dancing on the table and later ended up in a hotel room with a stranger.

Linda’s drinking has ripped her family apart, and more recently the mother was left devastated when Ollie told teachers he was scared of his mum.

After social services got involved, Linda turned to booze to drown her sorrows and ended up wetting herself on stage at Ian Beale’s victory party.

The soap’s boss Jon Sen has said: “Linda’s descent into alcoholism will be instantly recognisable to many.

“It’s a journey that begins with a single drink to cope with the everyday ups and downs, but quickly escalates to a point which wreaks devastation on their life and the lives of those around them.

He added: “In telling Linda’s story, we hope that anyone in Linda’s situation, or those around them, notice the signs of alcoholism and seek the help needed.”

What’s next for Linda in EastEnders?

In upcoming scenes, fans will see Linda struggling to meet with social Loretta again and secretly pours gin into her tea to help relieve the stress.

Last month, The Sun exclusively revealed a major character will meet their grisly end in the special 35th anniversary episode.

The soap has confirmed that someone will drown in the Thames after falling from a boat party organised by Mick and Linda.

Filming pictures show Linda knocking back the booze and partying on table tops on the boat as well as Mick ending up in the water, leading fans to think one or the other will meet their death on the fateful night.

However, speaking on This Morning actress Kellie Bright – who plays Linda – hinted that she’ll survive the ordeal.

She said: “It’s the most epic week I’ve been involved in on the show.

“I can tell you it centres around a party on a boat on the Thames, and I get wet.”

When Phillip Schofield asserted that Linda won’t be the one to die, Kellie smiled and half-heartedly said: “It might be.”