Laura Doddington has described her time on EastEnders as a “whirlwind”, saying it is a “real privilege and honour” to bring a new family to Albert Square with her character.<\/p>\n
The 45-year-old actress made her first appearance as Nicola Mitchell on the BBC soap in 2024, and viewers have seen her navigate storylines around murder, infidelity and more recently a premature pregnancy.<\/p>\n
Her character has been at the heart of the drama since her arrival, and earlier this week her estranged mother and her sisters made their dramatic debut in Walford as part of the new Hawkins family.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the Press Association, Doddington reflected on how it feels to play a character who has quickly become a central character on the show, bringing five new additions to the Square.<\/p>\n
The soap star recounted how she has recently passed her “two-year starting date anniversary”, and said: “I can’t believe it. It\u2019s incredible and amazing.<\/p>\n
“When (executive producer Ben Wadey) told me, I was like, ‘What? Oh my gosh, that\u2019s incredible!\u2019<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s been a whirlwind because I\u2019ve gone from sort of storyline to storyline and then we\u2019ve got this \u2013 it\u2019s a real privilege and an honour.”<\/p>\n
The Hawkins family is comprised of Marian McLoughlin as Nicola\u2019s mother Rose, while Patricia Potter and Anna Constable portray her sisters Gemma and Jodie, respectively.<\/p>\n
The new additions also include Jamie Bamber as Gemma\u2019s husband Ned and Felix Uff as their mischievous son Ryder.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the arrival of her character\u2019s extended family, Doddington told PA: “I think for Nicola, it\u2019s really frustrating.<\/p>\n
“Families bring out certain things in us, and I think seeing Nicola as the daughter and as the sister will be a very different Nicola to the parent or the lover or the wife.<\/p>\n
“We are multifaceted. Human beings are multi-layered. And I think slowly those layers will have to be revealed at some point.”<\/p>\n
Viewers have recently seen her character reflect on her turbulent relationship with her abusive father and how she blamed herself for his death, as well as the impact this had on her relationship with her mother.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the fractured relationship between Nicola and Rose, Doddington said: “I think deep down Nicola wants her mother to love her, and to acknowledge how strong she was when she was a child.<\/p>\n
“I think that she wants to be loved by her mum and accepted, and I think because that hasn\u2019t been the case, that\u2019s why she cut them out of her life.<\/p>\n
“The problem is it\u2019s complex.<\/p>\n
“She loves her mum and she hates her, and she sees how much her mum cared for and loved her sisters.”<\/p>\n
Doddington added that it is “really fun to play” the sibling relationship with Potter and Constable\u2019s characters, and praised the fact there is “so much opportunity and so much to explore” with these new additions to the Square.<\/p>\n
EastEnders airs on RT\u00c9 One and BBC One on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.<\/p>\n