Shock EastEnders assault on Sharon will shock fans

Brutal on-screen assault gave Letitia Dean a chance to put her feet up!

Sharon’s vicious assault will shock EastEnders fans this week.

But Letitia Dean has revealed that she loved the laid-back aftermath lying in bed with her feet up.

The brutal attack happens in tomorrow’s episode as intruders sneak into new bar, The Albert, as Sharon and Johnny (Sam Strike) get ready to leave.

“Sharon and Johnny are closing up,” explains Letitia.

“She asks Johnny to be bar manager and they have a nice little drink together to celebrate.

“He says he’s going upstairs to get his coat. Sharon’s starting to clear up the bar when she suddenly hears this crash and realises it’s being broken into.

“Johnny’s upstairs, too terrified to come down and lost in fear. It happens so quickly and it’s quite violent. She’s knocked out bang!

“She tries to fight back at first, which I liked as it’s very Sharon. She grabs a wine bottle and whacks one of the thugs on the head. But she gets grabbed from behind and is thrown down.

“She makes a good effort, though. She’s lifeless on the floor when Johnny finds her and calls the ambulance. She gets rushed to hospital and it’s very serious.”

While Letitia, one of just two original cast members still with the BBC’s flagship soap, enjoyed the action, she says she enjoyed the inaction even more.

“It was an absolute joy,” she laughs. “It was really nice and relaxing as I had a lovely, comfortable bed.

“It was also quite liberating. It’s nice having no make-up on. I loved it! It was hard to stop my eyes flickering and the tube was a bit weird, but I got my blood pressure taken every scene.”

Young Sam has made quite an impact in the Square since his arrival, with Johnny’s admission that he’s gay. And Letitia, 46, says he’s made an impression on her, too.

“I love working with Sam, he’s a sweetheart,” she confides.

“I love the way the bond is developing and I really like that it’s very natural. I think Sharon feels quite motherly towards him, which is nice because of the stuff he’s going through with his own mother.

“She’s a shoulder to lean on for him and he feels he’s in safe hands with her.”

The fact that he did nothing to help weighs heavily on Johnny’s conscience this week. And the long-term impact on Sharon could be dramatic.

“It was a shocking, quick and violent attack and when you’re caught on the hop and seriously injured I think it’d take a long time to recover,” adds Letitia.