EastEnders actress Shona McGarty, who stars as Whitney Dean in the long-running BBC One soap, has revealed she once thought she'd received a “death threat” from a fan.
However, if the item in question was meant to scare the feisty 31-year-old it backfired and has become a welcome gift.
Shona also shared the hilarious way her dad got on board with the creepy warning by offering to take photos she could post on social media.
The performer joined the show in 2008 and her character has been through several huge storylines that have attracted strong reactions from viewers.
Most recently Whitney has been going through a heartbreaking miscarriage with on-screen boyfriend Zack Hudson, played by James Farrar.
The market trader had to make the decision to terminate her pregnancy after finding out her unborn daughter was suffering from Edwards' syndrome.
The distressing plot earned Shona a nomination for Best Leading Performer at the 2023 British Soap Awards.
Discussing strange things she’s been sent in the post by fans, Shona opened up about once getting a power tool.
She told the Daily Star: “I was sent a Black & Decker drill once. I phone up my dad and I said, ‘Dad I think might be a death threat’ and he went, ‘Oh is it any good?’
“He joked, I’ll take this death threat and put it at the top of your skull and take a couple of pictures.”
Thankfully, there haven’t been any more death threats and it seems Shona’s dad made the most of the free drill.
She added: “So I mean, it was fine, I’m still good here to tell the tale. It’s actually a pretty good drill, my dad’s taken it and done some DIY around the house.”
In 2012, EastEnders bosses told Shona, who was 20 at the time, that she faced the sack if she did not become better at timekeeping.
She was given a month unpaid suspension from the soap after repeatedly turning up to set late.
The Borehamwood native was also fined about £3,000 to cover the crew’s overtime costs when scenes ran late.
However, she seemed to learn her lesson and upon her return to work, she said she would be curbing her nights out.
“I realise how lucky I am,” she said following the suspension.
