EastEnders' Whitney to turn to prostitution

EastEnders' Whitney Dean is to turn to prostitution as her home life falls apart.

The troubled teen will flee the family home when her stepmum Bianca Butcher (Patsy Palmer) is jailed, and her boyfriend Connor Stanley's (Arinze Kene) lewd affair with middle-aged Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson) - Bianca's mum - is exposed.

Disgusted at the revelation her entire relationship was a sham, Whitney - played by Shona McGarty - will move in with her half-brother Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) and his wicked wife Janine (Charlie Brooks).

A Walford insider explained: "Janine's a terrible influence and is soon dragging Whitney into all sorts of shady schemes. Given that Janine used to be a prostitute, it makes sense that she's part of Whitney's journey.

"Whitney has no idea what she's letting herself in for. Janine is only part of the problem though. It's when she meets Rob - a deeply unscrupulous man - that her life starts to fall apart in a terrifying way."

Played Jody Latham - best-known as Lip Gallagher from Channel 4's 'Shameless' - the introduction of Rob will be part of a special Comic Relief episode hoped to raise awareness of sex exploitation.

An 'EastEnders' spokesperson added to Inside Soap magazine: "'EastEnders' has been working alongside Comic Relief since last year, devising a story that raises awareness of sex exploitation.

"In the long tradition the show has of tackling social issues, this is a storyline which looks to explore a growing problem faced by many young women in the UK."