WHY I JUST CAN’T STOP SOBBING!

Luisa BradshawWhite says it’s not just her EastEnders character’s break-up with Sonia Fowler that sets her off...

EastEnders star Luisa Bradshaw-White’s ability to cry on cue has come in handy lately as her character Tina Carter wallows in despair. A week and a half ago Tina was dumped by her girlfriend Sonia Fowler and it’s the latest in a series of emotional traumas.

‘Tina really loved Sonia, so when we filmed the scene I cried like a baby so that the audience felt sorry for her,’ says Luisa. ‘In fact, in some scenes where the script doesn’t say I have to cry, I still burst into tears!

‘I’ve even been in scenes where other people are meant to cry and I’ve been close to crying myself. I tell myself, “Stop it, you’re upstaging other people!”, but I can’t help it!’

Luisa’s co-star June Brown, who plays Dot Cotton, advised her to turn off the waterworks. ‘She told me that if you cry all the time, it has less impact than if you wait until a big moment to let it all out.’

To be fair, there’s been a lot for Tina to cry over since she joined the soap in 2013. Before she hooked up with Sonia, Tina was in an abusive relationship with Tosh Mackintosh, and last year her father Stan died.

Tina’s romance with Sonia hasn’t been plain sailing either. In May Sonia had a cancer scare, and recently Sonia’s had to look after Tina’s mother Sylvie, who has Alzheimer’s, because Tina couldn’t cope. It was the tipping point for Sonia, who quit Walford to move to Northamptonshire.

‘Tina gave all the responsibility to Sonia, so you can understand why Sonia couldn’t take it any longer,’ explains Luisa. ‘Tina’s gutted though, as she didn’t see it coming.’

However, Luisa says there’ll be a silver lining to Tina’s misery. ‘She moves in with her sister Shirley. It’s going to be a disaster, but Tina doesn’t want to grow up and Shirley offers support in looking after their mother.’

And, adds Luisa, ‘I’m sure there’ll be a few one-night stands for Tina. She just wants to be loved.’

Luisa, 41, got her big break in Grange Hill as a 16-year-old in the early 90s and has since starred in Bad Girls, Holby City and BBC2’s cult drama This Life. But it’s at EastEnders where she feels she’s made her mark.

‘The writers wanted a female character who was openly gay and proud, so there’d never be a story about the fact that she’s gay,’ says Luisa, who is herself gay and last year married Annette, her partner of 17 years, with whom she has two adopted girls.

‘Lots of people stop me in the street to say they think Tina’s cool and they love her clothes. No one mentions that she’s gay – we’ve normalised it.’

And long may it continue, says Tina. ‘I’ve had a nice break over the summer and it’s great to be back. I love the cast and crew, and I’m really happy.’