Sharon Watts

Sharon Watts (also Mitchell, Rickman and Beale) is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Letitia Dean. Sharon was one of EastEnders' original characters conceptualised by creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith. She first appeared in the first episode broadcast on 19 February 1985 as the teenage adopted daughter of pub landlords Den (Leslie Grantham) and Angie Watts (Anita Dobson). Sharon became prominent in the 1990s due to her becoming the landlady of The Queen Victoria public house and her romantic pairings with brothers Grant (Ross Kemp) and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden). In a storyline dubbed Sharongate, Sharon married Grant and then has an affair with Phil, climaxing in 1994 with Grant's discovery of the affair, which remains one of EastEnders' highest viewed episodes; the storyline was reinvented in 2018 when Sharon began an affair with a much younger Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). She was named the best EastEnders character of all time by the Daily Mirror in 2020. For her portrayal of Sharon, Dean won the award for "Outstanding Achievement" at the 2022 British Soap Awards.

Dean originally quit the role in 1995 after ten years, with Sharon departing following the breakdown of her marriage. In May 2001, Sharon was reintroduced by producer John Yorke. Dean took a break from the show in late 2004, with Sharon departing on 25 December 2004, returning for one episode to tie in with the show's 20th anniversary and Den's departure before returning in June 2005. Dean departed in January 2006. However, she was later reintroduced by executive producer Bryan Kirkwood in 2012 and later made her on-screen return on 13 August 2012 in a special week of episodes.

In her second stint, Sharon featured in storylines that included a feud with Phil and Grant's mother Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor); the return of Den, thought long dead, bonding with his wife Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) until it emerged that she killed Den in retribution for sleeping with Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan); and a forbidden relationship-turned-marriage with Den's son Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), which culminated with his death after the couple ended up feuding with gangster Johnny Allen (Billy Murray).

Since 2012, Sharon's storylines have featured an aborted engagement to Jack Branning (Scott Maslen); battling a painkiller addiction; a reunion and tempestuous marriage to Phil; being attacked in her own bar, meeting her biological father Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas) and her affair with Keanu popularly dubbed 'Sheanu'; sparking the events of Sharon having a late in life pregnancy, her split and divorce with Phil after her affair with Keanu is revealed, giving birth to a son Albie (who Sharon believes is Keanu's son) on the same night her other son, Dennis Jnr, dies in a boat accident due to Phil, stepson Ben (Max Bowden), and Keanu fighting in the wheelhouse, and her friend Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) locking him in a room on the boat as he found out Denny orchestrated the attack on Ian's son Bobby (Clay Milner Russell). Sharon attempts suicide before becoming the landlady of The Queen Vic once again. As part of her revenge plan upon finding out Ian's role in Dennis's death, she marries Ian and attempts to poison him to death, but realized she couldn’t do it and lets him flee. After this, Sharon discovers that she has a half-brother, Zack Hudson (James Farrar), has a fling with Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol) and finds out she has a granddaughter, Alyssa. In December 2022, Keanu returns to Walford and he and Sharon reunite, before getting engaged in May 2023. Sharon deals with Albie's kidnap unaware that Keanu has orchestrated it, and she also learns that Albie is not Keanu's son after all and that Phil is his real dad. The storyline culminates with Keanu's death on Christmas Day 2023 after Sharon jilts him at the altar after learning of his role in Albie's kidnap, and reveals that Keanu is not Albie's dad. Keanu almost kills Sharon and her friend Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) stabs him to defend her.