Letitia Dean has played EastEnders’ Sharon Mitchell, daughter of Dirty Den and Angie Watts, and current wife of Phil Mitchell, since the show’s inception in 1985.
Despite some breaks, she’s still a part of the show and remains a firm fan favourite - viewers have watched her grow from a stroppy teen to a fully-fledged adult. Her dramatic storylines are nearly always as big as her hair and we hope she'll portray Sharon for many years yet.
Here’s your essential guide to everything Letitia Dean.
Who is Letitia Dean?
How old is Letitia Dean?
Letitia Dean was born on 4 November in 1967. We'll let you do the maths.
Where did she grow up?
Letitia was born in Hertfordshire, and her family moved to Buckinghamshire when she was three.
Wait, so she’s not a real East Ender?
No, she ain't. Letitia auditioned for the role of Sharon, the adopted daughter of Den and Angie, before the show started. She lied about her roots and pretended to have grown up in Hackney in order to get the part, and it worked.
Is Letitia Dean married?
Dean married actor Jason Pethers in 2002, but they’ve since separated.
Who's Letitia Dean's boyfriend?
A few years ago she did have a boyfriend, Bowen Perrin, who was 17 years her junior (scandalous).
Wanna hear something even more scandalous? Co-star Danny Dyer, who plays Vic owner Mick Carter, revealed that he had a crush on Letitia. We hope his on-screen wife Linda Carter doesn't know about his feelings for her best friend.
It spawned many an EastEnder - where are the cast of kids' classic Grange Hill now?
Grange Hill cast - where are they now? SLIDER
Zammo - Lee MacDonald
Now this is one memorable Grange Hill character - poor Zammo, (played by Lee MacDonald), is probably best known for his heartbreaking drugs storyline that saw the schoolboy cheeky chappie turn into an heroin addict
Zammo - Lee MacDonald
After six years, Lee left the show and had one-off appearances in programmes such as The Bill and Birds of a Feather. After the show, Lee trained as a boxer, but a car crash left him unable to fight anymore. He then went on to run a key-cutting business in Surrey.In June 2019, Lee made his EastEnders debut as he played bus driver Terry, who clashes with Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, over a radio competition to win gig tickets.Unfortunately, Lee only played bus driver Terry in the special double-helping of EastEnders at the beginning of June, appearing in both episodes at 7.30pm and 8.30pm. Come back soon, please.
Tucker - Todd Carty
Tucker Jenkins, (played by Todd Carty), was not only an original cast member but became THE Grange Hill hero, who even went on to have his own spin-off show - Tucker's Luck. Throughout Grange Hill, viewers enjoyed watching Tucker grow from an unruly child to a rebellious teenager and then young man on the dole.
Tucker - Todd Carty
In 1990, Todd joined EastEnders as Mark Fowler, and stayed on the soap for 13 years. He later featured in The Bill as PC Gabriel Kent and had the most hilarious moment EVER when he was a contestant on Dancing on Ice in 2009. Since then, Todd has progressed his stage career and starred in A Business of Murder and Spamalot in the West End. He is also a panto favourite.
Roland- Erkan Mustafa
Roland Branning, played by Ercan Mustafa, starred on Grange Hill for six years. The inspiring actor turned the once bullied youth into someone people looked up too. Originally, viewers felt sorry for Roland, as he was a victim of bullying at the hands of Gripper Stebson. However, we loved watching Roland overcome this as a character and go on to flourish.
Roland- Erkan Mustafa
Erkan's popularity increased after he starred on Grange Hill. He went on to appear in Lenny Henry's 1990s sitcom Chef and episodes of Black Adder. More recently, Erkan has featured as a guest on Soccer AM and Celebrity Juice and is now recognised as a presenter and interviewer for entertainment site ME1TV.The actor also has a huge talent for foreign languages and says he can speak Dutch, Greek, Indian, Irish, Jamaican, Maltese, and do Turkish accents.
Tegs - Sean Maguire
Aged just 11 when he took on the role of lovable Tegs, Sean played a young schoolboy from an unsettled background. He played the best friend of Justine, and one of their best Grange Hill scenes was the day that the pair ended up breaking into a stranger's house when they tried to go to Teg's aunt's house for tea.
Tegs - Sean Maguire
Sean starred as Aidan Brosnan, a homeless drug addict in EastEnders until 1993.He also released an album in the 1990s and starred in film Meet the Spartans. More recently, his career progressed further as he was cast as Robin Hood on US TV show Once Upon a Time and appeared in the show between 2013 and 2018.He is still a fitlord.
Tracey - Amanda Mealing
Amanda Mealing joined Grange Hill as Tracey Edwards in the third series of Grange Hill. She starred as the best friend of Duane Orpington.
Tracey - Amanda Mealing
Amanda has had a regular role as Connie in Holby City since 2004, and has also frequently appeared in sister show Casualty.She was also in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Claire - Paula Ann Bland
Claire Scott, played by Paula Ann Bland, was a strong-minded voice of the school. She became involved in one of Grange Hill's highly controversial storylines - Gripper's racism.Claire ending up being attacked, before Gripper was expelled. Paula-Ann's character Claire was renowned for her crush on teacher Mr Hopwood, which she shared in her diary.She also enjoyed a romance with Stewpot, before discovering he was seeing Annette behind her back.
Claire - Paula Ann Bland
Paula's success from playing Claire continued outside of Grange Hill as she had a brief stint of fame in the pop industry. Paula landed a record deal for a cover of The Locomotion. She has since appeared in shows such as Only Fools and Horses and Spender, but stopped acting by the 1990s.She then opened a shoe shop in Knightsbridge called Paola, and went on to launch her own PR company in London and LA.
Bridget - Gwyneth Powell
Headmistress Bridget McClusky, played by Gwyneth Powell, was one of the longest standing characters on Grange Hill, appearing on the show between 1981 and 1991.
Bridget - Gwyneth Powell
After Grange Hill, Gwyneth continued her acting career. She has starred in shows including Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost, Coronation Street and Holby City. Her most recent TV role was in an episode of Casualty in 2014.
Benny - Terry Sue-Patt
Terry Sue-Patt played Tucker's best pal Benny and was the first child through the school gates back in 1978. The football loving lad was in Grange Hill until 1982 and said, "I basically played myself on Grange Hill".
Benny - Terry Sue-Patt
After being one of the most popular characters in Grange Hill, Terry went on to star in 1989 film The Firm, alongside Gary Oldman and Phil Davis. He also had minor roles in shows including Desmonds, General Hospital and Jackanory.Sadly, the actor was found dead in his London flat in October 2015, aged 50, following a battle with alocholism.
Which other shows has Letitia Dean been in?
Prior to her time on EastEnders and during her brief breaks from the show, Letitia took part in a number of other soaps including Grange Hill, Brookside, Casualty, and The Bill. She’s also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, some pantomimes, and as Ms. Darbus in the stage production of High School Musical.
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How long has Letitia been in EastEnders?
Letitia was on the show from the very start and stayed for ten years from 1985 until 1995, when she left to pursue other roles. She reprised her role from 2001-2006, left again, and came back for a third time in 2012 - so over 20 years in Walford. She’s one of only three remaining original cast members.
Sharon's classic storylines include the return of her supposedly dead dad Dirty Den, her gun shock wedding with Phil Mitchelland their consistently turbulent relationship.
What's Letitia Dean's Instagram and Twitter handle?
Letitia doesn’t have Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, although there are a few fan accounts. You can just find her on EastEnders on BBC One.