Shona Bernadette McGarty (born 14 October 1991) is an English actress and singer, known for her portrayal of

Whitney Dean Whitney Dean (also Carter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shona McGarty. The character is the ward of established character Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and was introduced on 1 April 2008 when Pa ...

in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' from 2008 to 2024.

Early life

Shona Bernadette McGarty was born on 14 October 1991 in

London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in north London, England. Forming part of Outer London, the borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It is the ...

to Patrick McGarty and Jennifer McNamara. She has a younger sister named Camilla. She is of Irish descent. McGarty attended St. Teresa's Catholic Primary School and later studied at Loreto College, St Albans.

Career

McGarty was involved in amateur musical theatre for six years, including a role in '' Wizard of Oz''. In 2007, she appeared in the short film ''What Goes Around''. In October 2007, following the announcement that established character

Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders,'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opt ...

(

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is a British actress and DJ. After appearing as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), she came to prominence for her p ...

) was returning to ''

'', McGarty was confirmed to be joining the soap as

; the daughter of Bianca's deceased partner Nathan Dean. McGarty began filming in January 2008, and made her first appearance as Whitney on 1 April. Early into her tenure, the character of Whitney was involved in a sexual abuse storyline in which she was groomed by Bianca's partner Tony King. McGarty who was 16 at the time, required her parents to give permission for the storyline to go ahead. In July 2012, McGarty was suspended from ''EastEnders'' by the acting executive producer

Lorraine Newman Lorraine Newman (born 1978) is a British scriptwriter, television producer, and the executive producer of the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2012 to 2013. Newman, who has worked on ''EastEnders'' for "nearly 20 years", received the role of ...

"for repeatedly being late for filming". McGarty later regretted her behaviour as "lazy and irresponsible". The same year, McGarty performed the song ''

A Change is Gonna Come "A Change Is Gonna Come" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. It initially appeared on Cooke's album '' Ain't That Good News'', released mid-February 1964 by RCA Victor; a slightly edited version of the recording was released as a s ...

'' for '' Children in Need 2012''. McGarty's other storylines included being sexually exploited by Rob Grayson ( Jody Latham), her marriage to

Lee Carter Lee Carter may refer to: * Lee Carter (baseball), American baseball player * Lee Carter (comics), British fantasy artist * Lee Carter (''EastEnders''), fictional character * Lee J. Carter (born 1987), member of the Virginia House of Delegates *Vipe ...

( Danny-Boy Hatchard) and subsequent miscarriage, being stalked by Leo King (Tom Wells) which leads to her killing him in self-defence, and being impregnated by Zack Hudson ( James Farrar), before discovering the baby has

Edwards syndrome Edwards may refer to: People * Edwards (surname), an English surname * Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile * Edwards Barham (1937–2014), American politician * Edwards Davis (1873–1936), American actor, producer, and playwright * Edwa ...

and

omphalocele An omphalocele or omphalocoele, also known as an exomphalos, is a rare abdominal wall defect. Beginning at the 6th week of development, rapid elongation of the gut and increased liver size reduces intra abdominal space, which pushes intestinal lo ...

, which ultimately leads to her to terminating the pregnancy. In 2018, McGarty joined 26 other celebrities and performed an original Christmas song, " Rock With Rudolph", a song written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. The song was recorded in aid of

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS F ...

and was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment on 30 November 2018 under the artist name the Celebs. The music video debuted with ''

The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

'' on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on '' Good Morning Britain'' on 30 November 2018. In 2021, McGarty reunited with Saga Entertainment to record a cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

song "

Let It Be Let It Be most commonly refers to: * ''Let It Be'' (album), the Beatles' final studio album, released in 1970 * "Let It Be" (song), the title song from the album Let It Be may also refer to: Film and television * ''Let It Be'' (1970 film), ...

", recorded at Metropolis Studios, in support of British charity

Mind The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...

and released on 3 December 2021. McGarty was backed by a choir of celebrities including

Georgia Hirst Georgia Octavia Hirst (born 26 December 1994) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Torvi in the History (Canadian TV network), History series ''Vikings (2013 TV series), Vikings'' (2014–2020) and Becky in the zombie horror mo ...

Anne Hegerty Anne Solway Hegerty (born 14 July 1958) is a British professional quizzer and television personality. Since 2010, she has been a "chaser" on the ITV game show '' The Chase'' as "The Governess", and was a contestant on the 2018 series of the IT ...

Ivan Kaye Ivan Blakeley Kaye (born 1 July 1961) is an English actor and producer. His international fame came with roles in historical drama shows like the Duke of Milan in all three seasons of '' The Borgias'', and King Aelle in the first four Seasons o ...

and Eunice Olumide, who performed as part of the 2021 line up of the Celebs. In July 2023, McGarty announced her departure from ''EastEnders'' after fifteen years. In an interview with ''

'', McGarty said she "had decided to spread erwings and

ould Ould is an English surname as well as an element of many Arabic names. In Arabic contexts it is a transliteration of the word wikt:ولد, ولد, meaning "son". Notable people with this surname include: English surname * Edward Ould (1852–190 ...

be leaving ''EastEnders'', whilst adding that she had "loved eryears in the show." Her final scenes aired in 2024, following the end of her contract.

Personal life

McGarty was in a relationship with her ''EastEnders'' co-star Matt Lapinskas from 2011 to 2013. Between 2018 and 2020, McGarty was engaged to long-term partner Ryan Harris. In 2022, McGarty dated her ''EastEnders'' co-star

Max Bowden Max Lewis Bowden (born 31 December 1994) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Justin Fitzgerald in the BBC One school-based drama series ''Waterloo Road (TV series), Waterloo Road'' (2014–2015), and his portrayal of Ben Mitch ...

for six months.

Filmography

Television

Music videos

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGarty, Shona 1991 births Living people English child actresses English people of Irish descent People from Borehamwood Actresses from Hertfordshire English soap opera actresses Actors from the London Borough of Barnet Actresses from London Actors from Hertsmere