Anita Dobson 'inordinately proud' of EastEnders role
6 years ago
30 May 2019 - 1:00 PM

Anita Dobson 'inordinately proud' of EastEnders role

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Anita Dobson is "inordinately proud" of her time on \'EastEnders\'.

The 70-year-old actress was part of one of the BBC One soap\'s most iconic moments of all time when her character Angie Watts was served divorce papers by Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) on Christmas Day 1986, and the episode attracted 30 million viewers.

And Anita insists she doesn\'t get tired of people asking her about her role on the show because it gave her a big break in the industry.

Leslie Grantham compared Letitia Dean to 'dog's backside' when she joined EastEnders

Speaking on \'This Morning\', she said: "I wouldn\'t be sitting here if it wasn\'t for that, that gave me my break.

"I\'m inordinately proud of it, of being Angie Watts."

But Anita was written out of the show in 1988, just three years after joining the soap, because she wanted to try her hand at other roles.

Tracy Ann Oberman: Soaps have had best roles for older women

She said: "I wasn\'t young when I got the part and I figured that now I\'d had that big opportunity [I could] get out there and see what you can do."

Since \'EastEnders\', Anita has gone on to star in ITV sitcom \'Split Ends\', as well as several theatre productions, such as \'Hamlet\', and film roles including \'London Road\'.

And the star admits she has talked about "slowing down" her workload, but hasn\'t managed to do so just yet.

Anita Dobson 'would never have met' Brian May without iconic EastEnders episode

She said: "I have thought about it, I\'ve talked about it to friends and they go, \'Yeah, yeah ... so, what are you doing next?\' "

Anita previously admitted she had people following her home in cars and singing outside her flat window following the iconic \'EastEnders\' Christmas Day episode.

She said: "I\'m absolutely thrilled because to have made something that\'s so iconic and that people are actually watching again - as well as a new generation - is wonderful and magical.

Anita Dobson proud of iconic EastEnders episode

"I can hold it up as an achievement in my life.

"It was insane. People were following me home in cars, singing outside my window at my flat,

"I couldn\'t go to pubs or supermarkets or walk down the street. It was bizarre but that was my life.

Peter Dean: EastEnders departure 'could've been' down to Leslie Grantham feud

"How exciting I got to do that."

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