‘EastEnders’ Linda Carter is set to battle alcoholism.
The Queen Vic landlady – who has previously suffered through a rape ordeal and a cancer scare – will hit the bottle to deal with her recent family drama, including her husband Mick Carter’s false imprisonment.
Linda (Kellie Bright) and Mick (Danny Dyer) have also been going through the autism assessment process with their son Ollie.
‘EastEnders’ boss Jon Sen said: "This autumn the Carters will face one of their biggest crises to date when Linda turns to alcohol to escape the increasing pressures of her family life.
"Linda’s descent into alcoholism will be instantly recognisable to many.
"It’s a journey that begins with a single drink to cope with the everyday ups and downs, but quickly escalates to a point which wreaks devastation on their life and the lives of those around them.
"In telling Linda’s story, we hope that anyone in Linda’s situation, or those around them, notice the signs of alcoholism and seek the help needed."
Bosses at the BBC soap have been working with alcoholism charity Drinkaware on the storyline.
Drinkaware’s Elaine Hindal said: "Working with ‘EastEnders’ on this storyline will help us put a spotlight on the potentially harmful result of getting into the habit of drinking regularly.
"Credit to the scriptwriters who are sensitively showing the journey of how easy it can be for someone to develop risky drinking habits. Linda’s experiences with alcohol demonstrate why it’s important to be able to recognise signs that you, or someone you care about, could be developing drinking habits that could cause harm to themselves or others."