EastEnders’ Letitia Dean has let slip the huge lie she told to soap bosses to get her role as Sharon Watts.

The actress, 56, made her soap debut back in 1985 – making her one of the few remaining cast members from when it first aired. And blonde bombshell Sharon has been at the front and centre of the Walford drama ever since.

From her flings with the Mitchell brothers to the sudden death of her adopted mother Angie Watts, Sharon’s time in the famous square hasn’t been short of chaos and heartache.

Over in the soap recently, she, and the rest of The Six, have been dealing with the cover up and murder of Sharon’s beau Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). Fans will recall how Keanu almost strangled Sharon to death before Linda Carter

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But it turns out actress Letitia might never have played Sharon had it not been for a little white lie she told the soap bosses. Speaking on EastEnders’ spin-off show called Secrets from the Square in 2020, Letitia spoke about getting the role of Sharon.

“I don’t really remember the audition that much. I know there were quite a few recalls. They were looking far and wide,” Letitia recalled.

However there was a problem, as one of the biggest requirements to bag a role on EastEnders was that the producers were looking for real people from East London who have a Cockney accent.

Award-winning actress Letitia, who was born in Hertfordshire, then explained: “We had to be born ‘within the sound of Bow bells’,” before adding: “I told a porky!”

She added: “I said my parents had to go and work away, and I was staying with somebody in ‘the sound of Bow bells’. I do remember getting the job and getting the call. I remember that quite clearly. It was just so exciting.”

Having grown up in the public eye, joining EastEnders at a young age, Letitia was slammed several times for her weight and looks, affecting her ability to get out onto the market. She admitted that her self-confidence had been torn down as a result of the constant barrage of hate, which resulted in her getting breast reduction surgery.

Speaking on Secrets from the Square, Letitia opened up about how she dealt with the trolls in her younger years working on the set. She said: “I think it’s probably harder for the youngsters today, it’s a very different time now with social media and all that business.

“I had quite a lot of horrible things said about me. ‘She’s too fat, the other actors complain they can’t fit on the same set with her’.”