Over the years, Gillian Wright has delivered many powerful performances as Jean Slater in EastEnders.

The beloved character lives with bipolar and since her arrival in 2004, we’ve seen Jean experience periods where she’s been admitted to hospital as a result of her mental health issues becoming too overwhelming.

Most recently, Jean spent time in recovery after suffering a breakdown at Southend.

Prior to the ordeal, Jean was in a relationship with Harvey (Ross Boatman), who couldn’t understand Stacey’s (Lacey Turner) pleas to listen to her an accept Jean wasn’t well.

Harvey came to accept his partner was struggling with her mental health when she failed to show any sympathy over Aaron being in hospital.

As Jean was so focused on getting married, she made her way to Southend in her wedding dress but thankfully, she was found and saved by Stacey, who spotted her mum walking into the sea.

Following this huge storyline, Gillian has spent time away from our screens but during a chat with Inside Soap Magazine, she made it clear she’s always up for challenging storylines to develop Jean Slater even more.

‘I love working and wake up every morning wanting to be the best actor I can be. If there’s something I can get my teeth into, I’m like a dog with a bone. I never want to do what’s expected because it’s very easy to become a cliché, and I never want Jean to become a cliché.’

Nominated for the Best Showstopper and Best Double Act (alongside Lacey Turner), Gillian reflected on how much they mean to her:

‘It’s an honour because it means that Jean’s story has actually touched people. I’ve had some positive messages from people living with bipolar who’ve said that Jean’s story is so truthful. That was such a relief to me!

‘One girl wrote that she often feels quite lonely because she doesn’t know anybody else with bipolar, but that she didn’t feel alone any more after seeing Jean go through these experiences. That really moved me.’

‘Lacey’s a delight to work with – we’ve grown closer over the years’, she added.

‘When we first met, she was a teenager and wasn’t going to hang out with someone older. But as she’s grown up and I’ve got older, we’ve naturally grown closer.

‘Lacey’s so happy being a mum and for me, it’s a delight to be in happy people’s company.’

The scenes in Southend have been nominated for the Best Showstopper award, while Gillian and Lacey are up for Best Double Act. You can vote here. The new issue of Inside Soap is available to buy now.

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