EASTENDERS fans are convinced a legendary Walford icon has made their return tonight after Linda Carter received a poison pen letter.
The Queen Vic landlady – who is played by actress Kellie Bright in the BBC soap – has been struggling with her drinking since she killed Keanu Taylor at Christmas.
She stabbed him to death to stop him from murdering her best mate Sharon Watts – and they are the rest of The Six – covered up the crime.
However once his body was found, they had to act and they framed Linda’s rapist Dean Wicks with the crime.
This week it became clear that Dean would do anything to get out – including offering to confess to raping Linda in exchange for her withdrawing her statement implicating him in Keanu’s murder.
In a shock twist, Linda agreed and went to meet with Dean’s associate Fraser to sign the statement in return for Dean’s confession.
However during the meeting in Peggy’s as Linda went to the bar, Fraser got a call from someone he called ‘hen’ and he assured her that he had Linda eating out of the palm of his hand.
But before they could finalise any deal, Jack Branning arrived with half of Walford’s police and arrested Fraser for blackmail, putting an end to Dean’s plan.
Linda was furious when she discovered her own son Johnny Carter was behind the arrest to stop her from withdrawing her statement.
Heading back home, she began closing up the Vic before going to bed.
But as she tidied the bar, Linda found a crisp white envelope with her name typed on it propped up by Queen Vic’s bust.
Opening it, Linda was horrified.
“I know what you did at Christmas,” the note read. “Liar!”
But fans think they know who sent it – and it’s the iconic Shirley Carter, Linda’s mother-in-law and Dean’s mother.
Shirley was last seen in Walford almost two years ago when she fled following the disappearance of her son Mick at sea.
Linda arrived on the Square on Boxing Day in 2013, along with her husband Mick (Danny Dyer) and has been a hit with soap fans ever since.
Her first storylines revolved around the fact that she struggled to come to terms that her son Johnny is gay
In a storyline that had long-lasting repercussions, she was then raped by Mick’s brother Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo).
She fell pregnant shortly after and then was left devastated emotionally when she gave birth to a premature baby after falling down the stairs.
Things soon got worse for Linda after she discovered that her husband Mick kissed their daughter-in-law Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), who was married to their veteran son Lee (Danny Hatchard).
One of her more memorable storylines was when she was accused of perverting the course of justice. This was after Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) is shot and she was falsely accused of attempted murder.
Over the years she has suffered from a variety of illnesses and disorders which include bulimia, alcoholism, and a secret battle with cervical cancer. After she gave birth to her youngest son Ollie (Harry Farr), she also had to deal with his autism diagnosis.
Although she and Mick seemed to be the perfect couple, the pair split up for a short time after she had an affair with Max Branning (Jake Wood). This lead to another pregnancy.
However, the pair finally got divorced after Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) set her eyes on Mick. She wanted the landlord all to herself and she lured Linda rival back into alcoholism to drive a wedge between them.
After this led to Mick’s apparent death at sea, she struggled to adjust to life without her ex-husband and the true love of her life. This was just after the pair decided to have another go at their relationship.
Recently, Linda was the person who was at the very centre during ‘The Six’ storyline. She tried to save her best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) when she was being strangled by Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). When she killed him with a meat thermometer, the group framed her rapist Dead Wicks after he returned to the square. Since then, she has struggled to cope.
One wrote: “Who do people think sent the letter? I really feel it’s Shirley.”
Another added: “Yeah I thought it might have been Shirley. Despite Linda being family they haven’t always seen eye to eye at the best of times.”
