EastEnders: Linda struggles to deal with the aftermath of her and Max’s tryst

EastEnders star Kellie Bright said her character Linda Carter was left feeling “guilty and shameful” after cheating on husband Mick with Max Branning.

Linda was left humiliated after Mick (Danny Dyer) spurned her advances while struggling to deal with childhood trauma.

She fell into the arms of Max (Jake Wood) and they spent the night together.

Bright said Linda is now torn and is stunned at what has happened. She said: “I don’t know whether she regrets it, but she can’t quite believe it’s happened. I think she feels immediately guilty and shameful about it.”

Mick is struggling following the arrival on Albert Square of Katy Lewis, who abused him as a child. Max tries to take matters into his own hands and confronts his love rival – only adding to Linda’s confusion.

Bright said: “I think she is furious with Max, but she is equally as furious with Mick for not doing anything, for not reacting. All she needs is for him to just do something, even if he calls her all the names under the sun. He’s not even doing that.

“She feels angry, but I don’t think she wanted to have that conversation. It’s all a bit of a rollercoaster for Linda. She wants to put the brakes on but she doesn’t know how.”

Max wants Linda to leave Walford with him. However, Linda does not know how to handle the increasingly stressful situation.

“I think she thinks it’s madness by that point,” Bright said. “Plus she is getting increasingly worried about Mick’s state. Not even about her and Mick, but just in himself, I think she is getting very concerned about what is going on for him and she wants to help him.

“Even if Mick hates her, she wants to help him. So she’s very torn at this point.”

EastEnders airs on Christmas Eve at 8.15pm on BBC One.