EastEnders‘ Kat Moon hasn’t had an easy life and it’s about to get even harder. Her upcoming storyline is one of her darkest yet, as she finds herself unable to cope with the memories of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her uncle, Harry Slater.
After learning that Harry left her a large amount of money in his will, Kat, played by Jessie Wallace, is unable to battle the demons that have haunted her for so long. She is pushed to her very limits and ends up attempting suicide.
Luckily Kat’s estranged husband Alfie finds her in time to take her to hospital and revive her and, after the traumatic experience, Kat decides it’s time to confront her past and find a way to deal with it.
EastEnders is working closely with the National Association for People Abused In Childhood to make sure the storyline is portrayed with sensitivity.
EastEnders never shies away from difficult, often controversial, storylines — and Kat is often at the centre of them. Here are just a few of the tough times she’s managed to survive since she first arrived in Albert Square.
Kat reveals she is Zoe’s mother (2001)
When EastEnders covered the child abuse storyline with Kat and her uncle Harry calls to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) went up by 60 percent. The chief executive of the NSPCC praised the storyline for covering the subject in a direct and sensitive way and the show won an award from the Mental Health Media Awards in 2002 for the storyline.
Video credit: EastEnders/YouTube
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Kat loses baby Tommy — then gets him back (2010)
EastEnders received almost 9,000 complaints after Ronnie took Kat’s newborn baby Tommy, replacing him with her own baby James who had died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It is the most complained-about storyline in the soap’s 30 year history. Bosses also decided to end the storyline earlier than planned.
Video credit: EastEnders/YouTube
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Kat is badly burned in a house fire started by Alfie (2014)
In a desperate attempt to solve his money troubles Alfie sets fire to their home in order to claim on the house insurance. To his horror Kat is inside and she sustains life-threatening injuries.
Video credit: BBC/YouTube
If you are affected by any issues relating to child abuse, contact National Association for People Abused In Childhood or National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for help and support. Help is also available from Samaritans.
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