BBC EastEnders star breaks silence as fans say 'was she supposed to say that' during live episode

Kellie Bright, who plays Linda Carter on EastEnders, has shed some light on the confusion stemming from Thursday's dramatic live episode.

In celebration of the iconic BBC One soap's 40th anniversary, a special 30-minute live broadcast was aired where viewers were left stunned as Martin Fowler met a tragic end following an explosion at the Queen Vic.

The residents of Albert Square came together in the aftermath, with Linda expressing her feelings in a heart-to-heart: "Time's like this, I miss Mick! I'm lucky, I know I am, got my kids, I'm still here, I'm still here... and do you know what, Denise, I'm not wasting another second."

Opening up about her personal battles, Linda remarked: "I've beaten myself up for so long and it's got to stop. From now on, I'm going to let myself be happy and I think you should do the same. Keanu, what happened was... awful. But we're not bad people, Denise, we've got to get on with our lives... otherwise we might as well be in prison."

Linda didn't hold back in giving Denise Fox some candid advice: "Risks aren't just for the young, that's my advice... I might get a tattoo of that! The point is, don't be scared, go for it, for whatever you really want, and trust if it goes t**s up, you'll survive because you always do."

Taking to Twitter, now X, viewers were quick to react to the word "t**s" being used, wondering if it was a live mistake. One person said: "LINDA JUST SAID T**S! #Eastenders #EELive", another wrote: "Linda saying t**s up? #EastEnders #EastEnders40 #EELive", a different viewer put: "MENTION OF T**S? ON THE BBC AT 7:34pm?! #EastEnders #EE40 #EELive" while another added: "DID LINDA JUST SAY T**S UP #EastEnders #EE40."

Elsewhere, a different show watcher said: "was kellie supposed to say t**s up lmaooo #EastEnders #EE40 #EELive", another wrote: "T**S BEFORE THE WATERSHED???? #EastEnders", a different fan said: "OMG Linda just said t**s on prime time BBC One #EastEnders #EELive #EastEndersLive" while another added: "Was the t**s up line by Linda actually scripted?? #EastEnders #EELive."

However, actress Kellie who plays Linda, addressed the rumours on Friday on her Instagram. In a post celebrating the moment, she dispelled any doubt that the line was a mistake.

Sharing a screenshot of her script, which had the dialogue in full, Kellie said: "Had to share this as I hear that there is speculation about my “t**s up” line…. It was indeed in the script and I was absolutely thrilled that I got to say T**S on LIVE telly!! it’s the little things that get you through…."

EastEnders continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.