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

Letitia Dean\'s hair was compared to \'EastEnders\' dog Roly\'s bottom when she joined the cast as a teenager.

The Albert Square star was just 17 years old when she first appeared as Sharon Watts on the BBC soap back in 1985, and her late co-star Leslie Grantham - who played her on-screen dad Dirty Den - couldn\'t resist making fun of her perm.

Speaking on spin-off show \'Secrets From The Square\', she said: "Leslie used to say, because I had a perm back in the day, that I looked like Roly\'s a**e."

Letitia, now 52, also revealed she actually lied to land her role as Sharon because the Beeb bosses were only interested in casting London-born stars.

Reflecting on her audition, she said: "We had to be born in the sound of Bow Bells and I think we all told a porkie.

"Where was I born? In Barbara Cartland\'s estate in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

"I said my parents had to go and work away, and I was staying with relatives in the sound of Bow Bells."

Letitia was opening up on the BBC\'s new \'EastEnders\' Monday night spin-off show, which is tiding fans over while the soap is taking "an inevitable break due to filming being postponed" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Host Stacey previously said: "I\'m delighted to be hosting \'Secrets From The Square\'.

"I grew up watching \'EastEnders\', so walking onto Albert Square was a surreal experience as well as taking a trip down memory lane and interviewing some of the legends of Walford has been great. I\'ve loved every minute of it!"

The broadcaster is also airing a selection of iconic episodes on Tuesday nights to let viewers "reminisce and relive some of the unforgettable moments from the past".