Actors - Letitia Dean

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	Actors - Letitia Dean

Letitia Dean (born in Wild Hill near Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, November 14, 1967) is an English actress, probably best known for her role as Sharon Watts in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Early Life and Acting Career

Letitia Dean was born in Hertfordshire to parents Leslie and Ellie Dean, in a cottage rented on the grand estate of the late British romantic novelist Barbara Cartland, known as Camfield Place. The third of three children, Letitia picked up a penchant for performing at an early age. Both Letitia and her older brother Stephen Dean attended dance school in the village where they lived, and this later prompted Letitia's successful application to attend the Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone London, which has famously produced some of Britain's most familiar television and musical stars. Other renown students who attended the Sylivia Young theatre school are presenter and actresses Denise Van Outen, Billie Piper, Samantha Janus and Keeley Hawes; fellow eastenders Daniella Westbrook, Perry Fenwick, Nick Berry and Tamsin Outhwaite; and singers and musicians such as ex Spice Girl Emma Bunton, Matt Jay from Busted and the Appleton sisters. Letitia stayed at the school as a full-time student for several years learning her trades of acting, singing and dancing.

Letitia's first Television appearance came when she was just 11 in 1978, where she played a student named Lucinda in the English BBC childrens television series, Grange Hill. It was here where she met and became firm friends with fellow actress Susan Tully, who she would later go on to act closely with in Eastenders. Her next television role was a part in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside in 1984. Soon after she was cast as one of the original cast members of the new BBC soap opera Eastenders. Interestingly Letitia lied about her roots to get the part in the soap. As the casting directors were only looking for real 'East end' actors, Letitia falsely claimed that she was born and raised in Hackney East London. The lie paid off and she got the part.

Life In Eastenders

She played Sharon Watts, the troubled and spoilt daughter of landlord 'Dirty' Den Watts and Angie Watts, from the show's inception in 1985 until 1995. Initial storylines centred around the difficulties Sharon faced growing up with an adulterous, over-protective father and an alcoholic mother. Struggling to grow up in this environment Sharon was constantly torn between the two. Bombshells such as best friend Michelle Fowlers confession that she was pregnant to her father, finding out she was adopted, as well as her own fathers murder helped to shape the character of Sharon into a strong, determined person with a hidden vulnerability. On her initial stint in the show Letitia featured in some of the soaps most renown storylines, including the infamous ménage á trois with her then husband Grant Mitchell and his brother Phil Mitchell (nicknamed Sharongate), which gave the soap one of its highest episode ratings and was watched by over 18.4 million viewers.

Growing up in the public eye was hard for Letitia, and the constant media attention on her appearance, particularly her fluctuating weight, was especially tough given her young and susceptible age. Letitia has since stated that her self-confidence was damaged during this time, and this, as well as back pain, contributed to her decision to get a breast reduction in her teens.

Growing up on screen in the 80's has also meant that Letitia has had to endure haunting images of herself dressed in over the top, less than flattering 80's clothes. The image of Letitia wearing a fluffy pink, off the shoulder jumper, is one of the most recognisible, trademark images in eastenders history. Despite embracing her younger years now, at the time Letitia hated the jumper so much that she burnt it!

During her time on the show Letitia even managed minor musical chart success with fellow 'Eastender' Paul Medford who played Kelvin Carpenter. A song penned for the pair as part of a plotline in the show prompted them to release a single entitled 'Something Outta Nothing', which made number 12 in the UK Top 40 in November 1986.

However, despite her popularity on the show, a desire to persue other acting roles and to escape the press attention surrounding her role, prompted Letitia to leave the soap in 1995.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Letitia Dean ]

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Actors - Letitia Dean

Early Life and Acting Career

Life In Eastenders

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