EastEndersoften tackle tough storylines, working hard to portray everyday struggles that so many people face. However, Dot Cotton’s most recent storyline is especially important. Why, you ask? Because actress June Brown is going through the exact same thing as her iconic character in real life…
Noticing that his good friend is turning into a recluse and struggling to read a passage from her beloved Bible – he decides to confront Dot Cotton, who is famous in Walford for her gossiping and chain smoking ways – and is determined to get some answers.
With Dot desperate to try and get Patrick to believe that her behaviour is the result of her feelings towards Halloween – it takes a while for Dot to finally come clean about losing her sight.
She then finally admits: “I think I’m going blind.”
We think EastEnders bosses and June Brown, 89, are extremely brave to address the issues of age, especially as June herself has been forthcoming about her failing eyesight and hearing. So much so that she admitted to fans last year that it is sometimes hard to learn her lines:
She said: “I see things in my eyes now. My eyes are not very good. In the left occasionally I do get this small circle with what looks like cross-wires.
“I do pray about my sight, maybe it will return. You might laugh and think, ‘She’ll never be poor when she’s old’ — but I’ve not squirrelled away lots of money.”
Here’s hoping that Dot and June can stay onscreen for as long as possible, with EastEnders writers staying sensitive towards June’s struggles.
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