Letitia Dean wants Sharon and Ben to have an affair in EastEnders

"When they say 'Ben should go straight' they didn't mean literally!" laughed Bowden. "They meant 'straight' as in no more dodgy deals to protect Callum - Tish has been pitching the idea of Ben and Sharon for years…!"

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One fling is more than enough, as the events of the festive season prove. There's not much goodwill chez Mitchell when Phil (Steve McFadden) finally rumbles his wife and future son-in-law's betrayal and plans a terrifying revenge kicking off with a huge showdown on Christmas Day.

"Sharon thought she'd got away with it," Dean continued. "She was really happy and thought she had it all. After Mel died, which she obviously didn't want to happen, she believed the truth would never come out.

Sharon's tussle with the toy boy, in the face of Phil's neglect, turned her into something of a cougar, which Dean acknowledges was no hardship…

"Filming those raunchy scenes with Danny (Walters, aka Keanu) was very trying!" she giggled. "Looking up into those beautiful eyes… On a serious note, Danny was so respectful and lovely to work with. I just couldn't believe my luck, really. Since that storyline I do notice when I pop into my local little One-Stop I get some very strange looks from young boys! The members of the public I have seen in my quiet little life have really enjoyed it."

As Phil bellows in the trailer, which shows a sneaky first look at the confrontation, "Was he worth it?" – the answer appears to be a resounding yes from Tish…

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