Sharon Mitchell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Letitia Dean | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 1985–1995, 2001–2006, 2012– | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 1 19 February 1985 |
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Created by | Tony Holland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by |
Julia Smith (1985) John Yorke (2001) Kate Harwood (2005) Bryan Kirkwood (2012) |
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Book appearances | Blood Ties: The Life and Loves of Grant Mitchell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spin-off appearances |
Dimensions in Time (1993) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other names | Sharon Mitchell Sharon Rickman |
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Occupation | Barmaid Pub landlady Businesswoman |
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Family | Watts/Mitchell |
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Father | Gavin Sullivan |
Mother | Carol Hanley |
Adoptive father | Den Watts |
Adoptive mother | Angie Watts |
Half-brothers |
Kristopher Hanley Jonathan Hanley |
Half-sisters | Vicki Fowler (adoptive) |
Husband |
Grant Mitchell (1991–1995) Dennis Rickman (2005–2006) Phil Mitchell (2014–) |
Sons | Dennis Rickman Jnr |
Stepsons | Ben Mitchell |
Stepdaughters | Louise Mitchell |
Aunts | Margaret Midhurst |
Sharon Anne Mitchell (also Watts and Rickman) is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Letitia Dean. Sharon is one of EastEnders' original characters, appearing in the first episode broadcast on 19 February 1985. The character was conceptualised by Tony Holland and Julia Smith, the creators of EastEnders. Sharon was a teenager when the programme began: the adoptive daughter of Den and Angie Watts. Sharon remained a prominent character into the 1990s due to romantic pairings with brothers Grant (Ross Kemp) and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden). In a long-running storyline dubbed Sharongate, Sharon, married to Grant, has an affair with Phil. Grant's discovery of the affair remains one of EastEnders' highest viewed episodes. Dean quit the role in 1995 after ten years, with Sharon departing following the breakdown of her marriage.
In 2001, Sharon was reintroduced by producer John Yorke. Dean continued in the role until January 2006, featuring in storylines including the return of her father Den, thought long dead, in 2003 and a love affair with her adoptive half-brother, Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), which ended in his death. Dean departed amidst reports that she was taking a break; however, she did not return until 2012, when executive producer Bryan Kirkwood announced that he was reintroducing Sharon. She returned on 13 August 2012 in a special week of episodes that saw Sharon jilting her fiancé John Hewland (Jesse Birdsall) at the altar and turning to Phil Mitchell for help in the safe return of her son, Dennis Rickman Jnr (Harry Hickles, later Bleu Landau). In early 2017, Dean took a break from EastEnders along with co-star Steve McFadden who plays Phil. Their characters left Walford in January to go on a break whilst Phil recovered from his liver transplant. Her voice was heard in the episode broadcast on 14 March and Sharon returned on 31 March 2017.