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EastEnders storyline

MS on EastEnders: Dinah's story

If you've watched EastEnders recently, you'll have met Dinah, a character who has primary progressive MS. Dinah chose to die by suicide. And we know a lot of people found it difficult to watch.

As well as having MS, Dinah had a long history of depression. And her mental health was severely impacting her outlook on life.

We’re disappointed with Dinah’s character

Since we heard about the storyline, we gave EastEnders information, advice and insights from MS experts, including people with MS.

We were disappointed about her character's journey. But ultimately the EastEnders producers and script writers decided that while other characters would reflect a different experience of MS, this was how Dinah's storyline would play out.

MS on set in Albert Square

We took members of our community onto the filming set to work with producers and actors to share their stories. Our supporter Dee Dee met Anjela Lauren Smith who plays Dinah.

  1. Read her experiences and what she thinks about the storyline on the website here

More characters with MS on EastEnders

EastEnders made it clear to us they were telling Dinah’s story, not trying to reflect the experiences of everyone with MS. We also met another character (Darren) who also had MS, and whose perspective of living with the condition was very different to Dinah's.

Darren's outlook highlighted the unpredictable nature of MS and how different it can be for everyone, emphasising there is very much a life beyond it.

We realise that the EastEnders storyline may have been upsetting to watch. It does not reflect the many different experiences of living with MS.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, we have information available on our website.

  1. Go to our MS and your emotions booklet

Need support?

If you’re affected in any way by the issues raised in the programme, contact our MS Helpline on 0808 800 8000 or by email at [email protected].

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