EastEnders newcomer Kitty Castledine has arrived in Walford with a bang as Penny Branning.
Troublemaker Penny is Jack Branning’s daughter. She uses a wheelchair having been injured as a child, thanks to a dodgy contact her dad had, back in the days when he was a bent copper!
Since she arrived in EastEnders, Penny has already managed to get her cousin Lauren banged up, flirted with Lauren’s ex, Peter Beale, and generally made her presence felt on Albert Square.
And who knows what she’ll get up to next!
Who plays Penny Branning?
Penny is played by EastEnders newcomer Kitty Castledine. But while Kitty is new to the world of soap, she’s no stranger to fame because she comes from a very successful family!
Her mum is a top television presenter, her dad was a Premier League footballer, and her younger brother is following in his dad’s footsteps.
So who are her famous family?
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Kitty’s mum is Lucy Alexander
Kitty’s mum is Lucy Alexander, who is best known for being a former presenter of Homes Under the Hammer. She presented the show – alongside Martin Roberts – from 2003 until 2016.
She’s also presented A Place in the Sun, Bang on Budget and Best of Both Worlds.
Lucy’s first job in showbiz was back in the 1980s when she appeared in the video for Chesney Hawkes’ single I Am The One and Only!
She is married to former footballer Stewart Castledine.
Stewart’s successes
Stewart played for Wimbledon FC back in the 1990s, when the team were in the Premier League. Later he played for Wycombe Wanderers.
After his playing career ended, Stewart was also a TV presenter for a while, appearing on Houses Behaving Badly. He also coached AFC Wimbledon Ladies.
Stewart has now moved into the business side of sports. He’s commercial director of the sports division of talent management agency James Grant.
Chip off the old block
Kitty’s younger brother, Leo, is also a footballer. He’s only 18 years old, but he signed his first professional contract with Chelsea in summer of 2022. He’s represented England at u15, u17 and u18 level, and recently made his u19 debut against Romania.
Famous family!
It’s seems Kitty is shaping up to be just as successful as her family members. She has been a wheelchair user since she was seven. However, she didn’t let it interfere with her love of sport growing up when she played wheelchair tennis and swam. She also appeared in the closing ceremony of the Paralympics in London in 2012.
Kitty only graduated from prestigious drama school LAMDA last year, but has already landed the role of Penny.
“I didn’t expect to start my EastEnders journey so soon out of drama school – I can’t actually believe it!” Kitty said. “The inclusion of disabled talent on screen is so important to me as a wheelchair user, so I’m thrilled to be playing a character as feisty and cool as Penny. She’s thrown into the middle of the drama straight away, and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to.”
Read more: Complete EastEnders cast list – meet them all here
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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