EastEnders' Diane Parish: 'Denise never learns – I wish she'd stop going for younger men'

No, I thought I’d be lucky to see out my first year! Actors always say: “Never unpack your bags.” I did another year, then had my second daughter and only then did I think, “I’ll stick around a bit longer.” You never assume you’ll be offered another contract. I’m lucky that I’ve never thought my character has run her course. I still see all kinds of possibilities for Denise.

How much input do you have in the scripts?

I’m not an actor who thinks, “My character wouldn’t say that…” Steve McFadden [who plays Phil Mitchell] says we don’t know what our characters would say, because we don’t know what we’d say in real life. Denise wouldn’t be who she is without our storyliners creating her life as she’s evolved. Nobody plans to end up at a food bank or have a baby with Phil Mitchell!

Do Denise’s traumatic storylines take their toll on you?

Her psychosis storyline did, but only because I wanted it to. That might sound masochistic, but it had to be truthful, so I isolated myself from the cast in order to do the story justice. That was intense, but I enjoyed it.

What do you admire most about Denise?

She’s never heartbroken for long. You don’t see her under the duvet watching Bridget Jones and scoffing Milk Tray – she’s over it! She’s resilient and keeps her zest to keep going. Although I wish she’d stop going for younger fellas. She never learns.

Who is your ultimate EastEnders female icon?

I really loved Angie Watts, a brilliant, dynamic character who grabbed you by the throat. Anita Dobson played her from the gut. It was so visceral. I like gutsy characters.

Why are these strong women so integral to soaps?

Women were always the silent, tragic heroes, and until recently their stories were told through men’s voices. Soap has given women their own voice – you see how they run the household and keep everything together. Peggy Mitchell [played by Barbara Windsor] is a big example: the matriarch keeping her family in line and giving her boys a clip round the ear.

Do you think there’s still a snobbery about soaps?

In certain areas, which irritates me. Growing up with my mum, I watched them all, so I always had an admiration for them. It’s a beast. We produce dozens of scenes a day to a high standard – in other places you might only do two or three scenes in a day.

And our stories speak directly to the working classes to make them know that they are seen and that they matter. The audience feel they are with us, not watching something from a distance.

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EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.

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