‘EastEnders’ is to show all sides of Cystic Fibrosis in their latest gripping storyline.
In last night’s (18.06.15) episode of the BBC One soap Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) discovered he’d fathered a child with Shabnam Masood (Rakhee Thakrar) during a one night stand seven years ago and found out that his seven-year-old daughter suffers from the life-shortening condition.
Shabnam gave the child – who she named Roya – up for adoption after giving birth but her father Masood (Nitin Ganatra) tracked her down and gave her address to Dean’s mother Shirley Carter (Linda Henry).
Shirley then showed up at the home of Roya’s adoptive parents and discovered her grandaughter is now called Jade Green and was born with the genetic condition.
And the Cystic Fibrosis Trust has revealed they’ve been working closely with producers to get the storyline right.
Oli Lewington, who is engagement director at the Trust, said: "We’re proud and excited to have worked with ‘EastEnders on the introduction of Jade to the soap and we hope that this feisty, young character with cystic fibrosis will help raise awareness of this hidden, genetic condition which affects thousands of people in the UK.
"We were keen to ensure that the portrayal of cystic fibrosis is accurate and that the writers capture both the highs and lows of living with this life-shortening condition. Although people with cystic fibrosis often look perfectly healthy, it’s a daily burden involving a vast intake of drugs, time-consuming physiotherapy and isolation from others with the condition."
EastEnders to show all sides of Cystic Fibrosis
