EastEnders legend Anita Dobson has revealed why she no longer watches the BBC soap, 36-years after leaving the role of the Queen Vic’s first landlady.Â
The actress, 75, played Angie Watts from the show’s very first episode in 1985 before bowing out three-years later.
Her memorable stint saw 30M viewers watch the now classic scene when husband Dirty Den (Leslie Grantham) served her with divorce papers on Christmas Day.
However Anita has now admitted that she and Queen drummer husband Brian May, 77, no longer watches her former co-stars – including onscreen daughter Leticia Dean who plays Sharon – as they struggle to keep up with the number of EastEnders episodes per week.
She told The Mirror:Â ‘I tend to always miss it. But I do try to catch up with stuff now and again. But it’s hard with that because it turns over so quickly. You’d have to be constantly catching up. So no, I have watched bits and pieces.’
‘I don’t really watch television very much at all, I watch things like a series because then you can get your teeth into it, and you can watch it when you want to rather than having to keep playing catch up’.
EastEnders legend Anita Dobson, 75, has revealed why she no longer watches the BBC soap, 36-years after leaving the role of the Queen Vic’s first landlady
The actress played Angie Watts from the show’s very first episode in 1985 before bowing out three-years later (pictured on the show with co-star Leslie Grantham in 1985)
It comes after Anita shared a health update on her husband  Brian, after he suffered a stroke in September and was left unable to use his arm.
The Queen star revealed he had been rushed to hospital following the medical emergency in a video shared to his personal website.
But his Anita has reassured fans that the legendary guitarist’s condition has ‘stabilised’ and he’s back to playing piano and guitar.
Speaking to The Mirror at the TRIC Christmas Lunch earlier this month she said he was now doing ‘much better’ and had ‘stabilized’.Â
Brian announced his stroke in a video, looking animated despite the ‘scary’ episode, and said he can still play guitar following what he called his ‘little health hiccup’.Â
At the time, he asked fans not to ‘clutter up’ his inbox with good wishes, adding that the doesn’t want sympathy.Â
The guitarist was recovering from a ripped muscle and trapped nerve as a result of a gardening injury, when he suffered a heart attack in May 2020.
In the video, he said: ‘I’m here to bring you some good news – the good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days,’ he said, twiddling his fingers for emphasis.
Her memorable stint saw 30M viewers watch the now classic scene when husband Dirty Den (Leslie Grantham) served her with divorce papers on Christmas Day (pictured)
Anita admitted that she no longer watches her former co-stars – including onscreen daughter Leticia Dean(pictured) – as they struggle to keep up with the number of episodes per week
She said: ‘I tend to always miss it. But I do try to catch up with stuff now and again. But it’s hard with that because it turns over so quickly.
‘I say this because it was in some doubt because that little health hiccup that I mentioned happened about a week ago and what they called it was a minor stroke.’
The We Will Rock You writer revealed the incident left him temporarily unable to use his left arm and he had a ‘very exciting’ emergency ambulance journey to Frimley Hospital in Surrey, while praising the medical staff for giving him the ‘most fantastic care.’
‘All of a sudden, out of the blue, I didn’t have any control over this arm, so it was a little scary, I have to say,’ he continued.
‘I didn’t want to say anything at the time because I didn’t want anything surrounding, you know. I really don’t want sympathy. Please don’t do that because it’ll clutter up my inbox and I hate that.’
But the animal rights activist, who has campaigned against the culling of badgers to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis, said he is currently ‘grounded’ as a result.
‘The good news is I’m okay. Just doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing. I’m grounded.
‘I’m not allowed to go out – well, I’m not allowed to drive, not allowed to get on a plane, not allowed to raise the heart rate too high… but I’m good.’Â
The rocker – who also has a PhD in astrophysics after abandoning his studies to pursue a career in music – had been seen in public just days before the scare, appearing on ITV’s This Morning on August 23 to promote his BBCÂ documentary on badger tuberculosis.Â
It comes after Anita shared a health update on her husband Brian , after he suffered a stroke in September and was left unable to use his armÂ
Brian announced his stroke in a video, looking animated despite the ‘scary’ episode, and said he can still play guitar following what he called his ‘little health hiccup.Â
Anita has been at Brian’s side throughout his setbacks and previously opened up about his stroke during an appearance on Loose Women in October, where she admitted it had been a ‘big wake up call for us both’.
After the panel asked her how Brian was doing, Anita let out a sigh and responded: ‘I’m very happy to say, sitting here now, he’s stable and he’s got through it.’
The audience broke into applause at the positive news, before panellist Kay Adams added:Â ‘It’s a big shock though isn’t it?’
Anita admitted: ‘It was… yeah, a bolt from the blue and a big wake up call for us both because you suddenly think, you charge through life don’t you, wanting to do the things you can do, failing and succeeding sometimes.
‘You just don’t think about that inevitable moment when you’re going to have to slow down and this really did make us both, particularly Brian, and me too, think okay, you’re not getting any younger.’
She continued: ‘At some point you are going to have to face the prospect that you can’t do the things you used to do, so you will have to slow down and start making compromises.
‘It has been quite a shock in a way, not a massive shock because thank God he’s alright, still iconic.’
