EastEnders star Charlie Suff has shared his real-life bond with his on-screen mum Kellie Bright.
The actor joined the soap earlier this year when he took over the role of Johnny Carter, and has since been involved in key storylines, including the cover-up of Keanu Taylor’s death.
After his mum Linda Carter (played by Bright) confessed to killing the mechanic on Christmas Day; lawyer Johnny has been determined to keep her, and the rest of The Six, out of trouble.
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However, in real life, Suff explained that Bright has been the one helping him as he settled into his new role.
“She really looks out for me. Early on, I remember a couple of times where I’d have a little moment in a scene that I was unsure about,” he told Inside Soap magazine. “Kellie would clock it and would telepathically ask a question for me! I’d be like ‘how did you do that?’
“I quickly felt comfortable on the show and a massive part of that is from her. There’s that motherly aspect, but day-to-day we’re just friends and we giggle all the time!” he added.
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The star discussed his involvement in The Six storyline, which saw Linda, Denise Fox, Kathy Beale, Sharon Watts, Stacey Slater and Suki Panesar all covering up Keanu’s death.
He shared his excitement about working with the iconic actors, as well as Johnny’s character development since his return to Walford.
“I was so excited! Those women are such titans of this show, and a lot of them have been in it for so long. You watch them and you just think ‘well, you guys are amazing!'” said Suff. “I also think it was a perfect way to show that Johnny isn’t that little boy anymore.”
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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