EastEnders viewers were left stunned after discovering that Laura Doddington, who plays Nicola Mitchell on the show, had a previous stint on the BBC One soap.
Laura first appeared on EastEnders last year as Teddy’s (Roland Manookian) ex-wife and mother to Harry (Elijah Holloway) and Barney (Lewis Bridgeman). She quickly made her presence felt, taking over the former Peggy’s nightclub and making it clear she was there to stay.
Nicola has been at the centre of numerous dramas, clashing with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), sparking feuds with various residents, and rekindling her romance with Teddy.
However, in a surprising twist, it was revealed that Teddy is not Barney’s biological father – Zack Hudson (James Farrar) is, following a past fling with Nicola.
And earlier this month, viewers learned that Nicola had murdered Harry’s girlfriend, Shireen Bashar, who had been missing for four years.
Before joining EastEnders, Laura had roles in Casualty, Holby City, The Bill, Doctors, People Just Do Nothing, and played DS Mayes in the 2022 Sky adaptation of The Midwich Cuckoos. But fans have only just realised that Laura had a role on EastEnders nearly two decades ago, reports Plymouth Live.
In 2009, she portrayed Barbara, a woman who ran the antenatal class attended by Zainab (Nina Wadia) and Masood (Nitin Ganatra). A TikTok snippet revealing Laura’s debut on the soap has left fans gobsmacked, with one viewer posting: “I literally watched this the other day and didn’t notice wow.”
Another chimed in with surprise, saying: “What! ! ! No way! She looks so young there and her voice too!” Then a third confessed: “I’ve literally just watched this and didn’t even twig it was the same actor.”
On the flip side, Laura couldn’t hide her thrill over landing the role of regular character Nicola earlier last year, repeatedly ‘pinching’ herself in disbelief. At that time, she shared her delight: “I still can’t believe I’ve joined EastEnders – I keep pinching myself!”.
Having been an avid fan of the show herself, she was over the moon, especially when filming for the first time at The Vic.
She described the experience: “I grew up watching the show, so the first time I filmed in The Vic, I was like a kid at Christmas to be in such an iconic place with such a brilliant cast and crew.”