Shona McGarty says Whitney Dean is "convinced" she’s going to prison.
The ‘EastEnders’ actress has opened up on her character’s upcoming murder trial over the death of Leo King (Tom Wells) after she killed him in self defence, and she thinks her alter ego is expecting the worst.
Shona said: "She can’t see any possible way out of it. Gray [Atkins]’s doing his absolute best to help her and Sonia [Fowler]’s saying that she’s going to get off and everyone’s going to believe she didn’t do it.
"But she doesn’t believe anything that anyone’s saying. She really does think that she’s going down for it so she’s petrified. She thinks she’s going to go down for murder."
Sonia (Natalie Cassidy) urges Whitney not to be intimidated, and Shona’s alter ego becomes "very honest" on the stand, with the hope that Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) will "save the day".
She added: "So Whitney takes this on board and when the prosecution start discussing her past she decides that ‘actually, I’m not going to let them talk to me like that’. She gets quite feisty on the stand, and very honest.
"She definitely hopes that Mick will save the day. Sonia has reassured Whitney that everything’s going to be fine when her hero Mick turns up.
"So yeah, Whitney is a bit more calm when Mick’s on the stand, but then unfortunately things take a turn for Mick which doesn’t fill her with the hope she so desperately needs."
Meanwhile, the trial is set to take place on the same day as Chantelle Atkins’ (Jessica Plummer) funeral, and so Whitney will try to "be strong" and focused.
Shona explained: "Whitney is trying to be strong for Gray and Chantelle’s family but also trying to keep her head on for the trial ahead. But behind closed doors she’s obviously devastated."