BBC Share By Carena Crawford 3 Feb 2026, 09:02 By Carena Crawford 3 Feb 2026, 09:02 Linda Carter in EastEnders: Unluckiest woman in Walford, assault survivor, cancer battle, losing her beloved Mick and alcoholism How much do you know about Walford's wonder woman? Kellie Bright Linda Carter Share By Carena Crawford 3 Feb 2026, 09:02 By Carena Crawford 3 Feb 2026, 09:02 Since joining the soap, Linda Carter has easily become one of EastEnders’ most beloved characters and a true Walford icon. But how many kids does she have? What’s the reason she started drinking alcohol? Why did she do Page 3? And when did she have cancer? Keep on reading to find out! The Carter family matriarch has had a lot of trauma (Credit: BBC) Who is Linda Carter in EastEnders? Linda Carter is the daughter of John and Elaine Peacock. She is also the wife of Mick Carter – who is presumed dead after getting lost out at sea back in 2022. Linda first rocked up to Albert Square in December 2013, with the rest of the Carter clan. Since then, she’s cemented herself as one of the soap’s beloved characters. And it’s fair to say Linda’s time in Walford has not been short of drama – from alcohol battles and murder to cancer battles and rape. Article continues below Read all the latest spoilers How old is Linda Carter? As of January 2026, Linda Carter is 48 years old. She was born July 1, 1977. She is played by Kellie Bright, who is a year older – but was also born in July! Mick was the love of Linda’s life (Credit: BBC) Marriage to Mick and their children Mick and Linda were teenage sweethearts who survived a lot, including her rape at the hands of Mick’s brother Dean Wicks and her initial battle with alcohol. But it took one Janine Butcher to eventually destroy them. They did reconcile right at the last minute, but when they went haring after Janine to bring her to justice, tragedy hit. They flew off the cliffs of Dover into the sea and Mick was never found. He is now presumed dead. Linda has five children. She shares Lee, Nancy, Johnny and Ollie with her beloved Mick. However, at the end of 2020, Linda had a fling with Max Branning. The pair slept together during her separation from Mick. Fast forward to 2021, and Linda gave birth to her and Max’s child, a daughter called Annie. Although she and Mick were back together by this point and pretended the baby was his, it soon became obvious to others that Max was the dad. Page 3 model past Back when Linda was 17, she modelled topless for The Sun’s Page 3 feature. When she arrived at the Square, some of her neighbours and fellow residents found out. Dean was responsible for much of Linda’s trauma (Credit: BBC) Dean Wicks rapes Linda Carter in EastEnders Dean returned to Walford in 2014 and grew close to Linda. But at the time he thought she was his aunt-in-law not his sister-in-law. As Linda acted like a mother to him, Dean became obsessed and saw it as something far more. He tried to have sex with her and when she refused he raped her on the kitchen table upstairs in The Queen Vic. Although she tried to hide the truth, she eventually opened up to Mick on Christmas Day – the same day Mick and Dean found out they were brothers. Dean denied the allegations and eventually, after trying to rape Roxy Mitchell too, he was arrested. But he walked free from court and left the Square. Only to return in 2023 to torment Linda some more. After Linda and the rest of The Six framed him for Keanu Taylor’s murder, he eventually confessed to raping her and was sent to prison. When did Linda Carter have cancer in EastEnders? Linda had cancer back in 2017, but fans didn’t see her battle play out on screen as it happened while actress Kellie Bright was on maternity leave. As her mum Elaine had a stroke, Linda made out like she was staying with her in Watford. But it was soon revealed that she was keeping something from her family. By the time she returned to Walford she had already been given the all-clear. Despite wanting to keep it a secret, she eventually confessed to Jack Branning that she’d been having treatment for cancer, and then Mick. The Six had us gripped throughout 2023 (Credit: ITV) The Six and killing Keanu Taylor In February 2023 to celebrate the show’s 38th anniversary, Linda was part of a huge flashforward storyline. Alongside Sharon Watts, Denise Fox, Suki Panesar, Stacey Slater and Kathy Beale, we saw the women – who became known as The Six – in a murder scenario. It was only on Christmas Day 2023 that we discovered who the victim was. At first Nish Panesar was hit over the head with a broken bottle, which was the scene we had seen. But it turned out Nish was alive. Meanwhile, in the back of the pub, Keanu Taylor was trying to strangle Sharon Watts and Linda saved her by stabbing him with a meat thermometer. Keanu died and the women covered it up, burying his body in the cafe, as it was having work done at the time. Keanu’s body was eventually discovered and despite confessing, the police just assumed Linda was drunk and dismissed her. Nish Panesar eventually confessed to the crime himself to prove to wife Suki he was a good man. He wasn’t and after his escape from prison he died when son Ravi pushed him off a roof. The booze almost beat Linda (Credit: BBC) Linda’s ongoing alcohol battle Potentially EastEnders’ most unluckily character, Linda has lost her husband, killed Keanu Taylor, covered up the murder and survived a cancer battle. But Linda’s issues with alcohol kicked off in 2019, when she struggled to deal with her son Ollie’s autism diagnosis. Since then, she has relapsed several times, including after Mick’s disappearance. But it was in 2024 when she almost died that she finally accepted she needed help. After the fallout from killing Keanu, Linda couldn’t cope. She went on a downward spiral and eventually Elaine made her choose between booze and family. Linda choose alcohol and left the pub in the dead of night to drink herself to death. But after a nightmare in which her children were at her funeral, Linda realised she needed help. She returned to Elaine and agreed to check into rehab. Linda finally agreed to go to rehab (Credit: BBC) Selling The Vic and long cruise holiday It’s not been confirmed by the BBC if Linda is leaving the soap. But it’s fair to say she’s had a dramatic time on the BBC soap recently. It was thought Linda was going to die when the photos of her funeral appeared. Thankfully this was just a vision rather than reality. After a stint in rehab, Linda returned stronger than ever. After making the difficult decision to sell The Vic, she embarked on a lengthy cruise to help get over the trauma of the last few years. She returned in late 2025 to find Max Branning back on the Square, and her mum causing all manner of chaos with the newly-established Peacock Palace. But what does the future hold for Linda? Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns. Share Good to Know Share By Carena Crawford 3 Feb 2026, 09:02 By Carena Crawford 3 Feb 2026, 09:02 Previous Story Next Story
