EastEnders fans will know that Dotty Cotton has been up to some serious mischief on the Square and is currently involved in a dramatic storyline as she and her uncle Tom Cotton (Brian Conley) – who is posing as Sonia Fowler’s dad Terry Cant – attempt to scam their way to Dot Cotton’s inheritance money.
Dotty is currently played by actress Milly Zero but it hasn’t always been that way as the role of Dot’s granddaughter was originally filled by child star Molly Conlin.
Molly made her first appearance as Dotty back in 2008 when she was just seven years old and starred in the soap for two years before making her final appearance in 2010. It’s been 11 years since we’ve seen Molly on our screens and she’s changed A LOT since then.
Want to know what Molly looks like these days? Brace yourself…
Who is Molly Conlin?
Molly is an English actress who has starred in Little Miss Jocelyn, The Omid Djalili Show, Horrible Histories and Blandings. She’s best known for playing Dotty Cotton in EastEnders between 2008 and 2010.
How old in Molly Conlin?
Molly was born on 9 February 2001, so she’s currently 20 years old.
Where is Molly Conlin from?
Molly was born and raised in Canning Town, London, where she grew up with her mum and brother. She now lives in Essex.
What does Molly Conlin look like now?
Molly was just a child when she rose to fame on EastEnders but she’s all grown up now and looks almost unrecognisable from her time in Walford after ditching Dotty’s signature pigtails.
CHECK OUT from Lucy Beale to Bradley Branning: child soap stars - where are they now?
Child soap stars - where are they now? SLIDER with cover pic
1 of 19child soap stars
2 of 19Molly Conlin (Dotty Cotton)
Molly played Nasty Nick's daughter Dotty Cotton in EastEnders between 2008-10 and caused endless mischief with Tiffany Butcher. But where is she now...
3 of 19Molly Conlin (Dotty Cotton)
... 16-year-old Molly is now at college concentrating on her studies. After leaving the soap, the actress starred in Annabel's Kitchen, Horrible Histories and Blandings as well as adverts for Ragu Pasta Sauce and Bold 2 In 1.
4 of 19Helen Flanagan (Rosie Webster)
Corrie's bad girl had some meaty storylines including being kidnapped (twice!) and dealing with her mother's breast cancer diagnosis. Helen left the soap in 2011, but what has she been up to since?
5 of 19Helen Flanagan (Rosie Webster)
Six years since leaving the soap, the actress has appeared in I'm a Celeb, Celebrity Super Spa, Celebrity Wedding Planner and Holby City. She has had her first child Matilda with Scott Sinclair. So adorbs!
6 of 19Melissa Suffield (Lucy Beale)
Before Hetti Bywater, The Square's tearaway Lucy Beale was played by Melissa Suffield. But where is Mel now...
7 of 19Melissa Suffield (Lucy Beale)
...since leaving Walford, Melissa has evolved as an actress and has since starred in Casualty and played the role of Norma Jean in a musical about Marilyn Monroe.
8 of 19Ellis Hollins (Tom Cunningham)
Ellis Hollins has played Hollyoak's Tom Cunningham since he was just four-years-old and his storylines have gripped us all, from dealing with his mother's shock death to dealings with Sienna Blake... But where is Tom now?
9 of 19Ellis Hollins (Tom Cunningham)
Fourteen years later, Ellis is still in Hollyoaks (as lovable as ever) and was even spotted in Ibiza partying! Oh and he won a British Soap Award, no biggie!
10 of 19Sam Aston (Chesney Brown)
Sam Aston played the adorable Corrie's Chesney Brown since 2003. Speaking about life growing up on a popular soap, he said 'At 16, all my mates were getting fake IDs and going to pubs I always knew I couldn't do that.' But where is Sam Aston now?
11 of 19Sam Aston (Chesney Brown)
Sam is engaged to his girlfriend of five years Briony Gardner! The star had previously said: 'I do think I'm romantic. I like to treat my girlfriend, buy her flowers and make a fuss of her.'
12 of 19Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle)
Eden Taylor-Draper has played Belle Dingle since 2005, when she fell down a mineshaft on Christmas day. Speaking about being a child actor she said at the time, 'there is no time to go off the rails like Belle, I go home and learn my lines and I am in bed by 9pm!' Where is Eden now?
13 of 19Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle)
Eden is still in Emmerdale and recently was involved in a storyline where Belle pretended to be pregnant to keep her boyfriend. Uh oh.
14 of 19Charlie Jones (Ben Mitchell)
'Enders troublemaker Ben Mitchell has been played by a handful of actors, but we'll never forget the sweet Charlie Jones who was tormented by the evil Stella. Where is Charlie now?
15 of 19Charlie Jones (Ben Mitchell)
Charlie is now studying acting at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts – he looks COMPLETELY different to his Walford days.
16 of 19Charlie Clements (Bradley Branning)
Albert Square's favourite ginge (apart from his onscreen dad Max, obv) Bradley, was a knitted jumper-wearing sweetheart and made us want to pinch his cheeks through the television between 2006 - 2010. We are still getting over his tragic fall, where he saw his grizzly end. Where is Charlie now?
17 of 19Charlie Clements (Bradley Branning)
We hardly recognise Charlie Clements with a beard! The actor uploaded the snap to Twitter with the caption. "A year ago everyone was up in arms because I looked SO different at 28 to 18.. bet they didn't expect this at 29! #actor 'chameleon', He has since starred as Charlie Brackenreid in Murdoch Mystereries.
18 of 19Sonny Flood (Josh Ashworth)
Of course you remember Hollyoak's rather swishy-haired Josh Ashworth! His character was best known for dating Amy Barnes and an array of outlandish storylines including attempted murder, underage sex, drugs, drinking and joy riding. Where is Sonny now?
19 of 19Sonny Flood (Josh Ashworth
Sonny has since completed a law degree at the University of Manchester, working as a paralegal. Miles away from underage drinking a pint at The Dog, eh!
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What does Molly Conlin do now?
Molly no longer works as an actress, instead she’s now an eyelash technician and Instagram star who regularly keeps her 23.8k followers updated with selfies and glam snaps.
Molly hit the headlines last June when she revealed she her family home had been raided by knife-wealding robbers who stole her brother’s car and also managed to get away with a mobile phone and a watch. The thieves reportedly burst into the house in Essex in broad daylight before dragging Molly upstairs and threatening her with a knife.
At the time, she tweeted, “They was screaming at me, telling me they was going to hurt me if I didn’t give them anything while I was begging for my life being pinned down to the floor.
"PLEASE can everyone lock their front doors as I see this happen on Facebook the other day and never thought this would happen to me. I’m so grateful none of my family was home at the time and it was only me. Please spread the word."
What happened to Dotty Cotton on EastEnders?
Loyal EastEnders fans will remember when Molly played Dotty Cotton back in the day - not for her outrageously neat pigtails but for her evil streak.
She first arrived in Walford on Christmas Day in 2008, along with her dad Nasty Nick (John Altman).
It wasn’t long before she had Dot (June Brown) wrapped around her finger, helping her dad to slip an overdose into her gran’s tea.
Dotty - whose real name is Kirsty, as an FYI - had a change of heart and slipped the pills to her dad instead, choosing to stay with Dot and try to turn over a new leaf.
The duo wound up forging a pretty close bond, as Dot helped her feisty granddaughter make some friends her own age (yup, she even got little Tiffany Butcher on side) and learn to believe in herself.
But, alas, it wasn't to last. In 2010, the little tot left Albert Square with her estranged mother.
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Who plays Dotty Cotton in EastEnders now?
After rumours the character would return to Albert Square, BBC bosses confirmed that the character would return to Walford back in 2019, however Molly, who previously played her, would not reprise the role.
It was announced that actress Milly Zero would be taking over the role and after ten years away from Walford, Dotty would return ready to attend university as a young, confident woman who can manipulate her way into anything.
Since returning to the Square, Dotty has caused a lot of mischief but one of her biggest storyline when she found out that Ian Beale was responsible for the death of Sharon Mitchell's son Dennis. Although Sharon didn't believe her at first, it later came to light that she had a secret revenge plotting and was poisoning Ian after marrying him.
Since then, Dotty has taken over as manager of Ruby Fowler's club and recently slept with Tiffany Butcher's husband Keegan. Dotty's estranged mum Sandy recently returned to the Square, only to steal money from her daughter and vanish. Dotty is involved in a money-making scheme too as she tries to get her hands on grandma Dot's money from Sonia.