EastEnders star Kellie Bright is to leave the soap after playing one of its key characters, Linda Carter, for 13 years. Carter's matriarch character has been central to major storylines including plots about murder, sexual assault and alcoholism. Executive producer Ben Wadey described the actor as being "the beating heart of EastEnders" and said she had become "a classic EastEnders icon". Viewers have seen the much-loved character at the heart of many emotional storylines including in 2014 when she was raped by her brother-in-law Dean Wicks. The sexual assault led to long-running story arc about family conflict and trauma.