EastEnders favourite Penny Branning is heading for a huge storyline after discovering she is pregnant, but as she weighs up her future, viewers have been wondering who Penny Branning’s mum is and how Jack is linked to her life-changing injury.
Penny returned to Albert Square in 2024 and has quickly made her mark with her quick wit and no-nonsense attitude. But there is much more to her story.
Who plays the character now? Why is Penny in a wheelchair? And how is Jack responsible?
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Here is everything you need to know about Penny Branning…
EastEnders: Who plays Penny Branning?
Penny Branning first arrived in Walford in 2008, when she was played by Seven Dials and Tracy Beaker Returns actress Mia McKenna-Bruce. She was initially a recurring character.
In November 2023, it was announced that the role would be recast. Penny returned to Walford in early 2024, this time played by The Break star Kitty Castledine.
Executive producer Chris Clenshaw said, “It’s been a long time since Penny Branning was in Walford. She’s a very different person from the one our viewers might remember.”
Kitty was thrilled to join the cast: “My whole family are EastEnders fans, and the inclusion of disabled talent on screen is so important to me as a wheelchair user. I’m thrilled to be playing someone as fiesty and cool as Penny.”
However, Kitty isn’t the only famous face in her family. In fact, her whole family is well-known. Her mum, Lucy Alexander, is known for presenting shows like A Place in the Sun and Homes Under the Hammer.
Kitty’s dad is the ex-Premier League footballer, Stewart Castledine. And her brother is a professional footballer for Championship club Middlesbrough.
What happened to Jack’s daughter, Penny?
Jack’s job in the police is sadly the reason behind his daughter being in a wheelchair.
Back in 2006, Jack caught a drug dealer who deliberately hit Penny with his car while she was waiting for a bus with her mum, Selina.
The injuries were so great that Penny’s spine was severed and she has been in a wheelchair ever since.
The guilt was too much for Jack to handle, which resulted in his estranged relationship with his daughter when she was younger.
Is the actress who plays Penny in EastEnders disabled?
Yes. When she was seven, Kitty was diagnosed with a rare inflammatory spinal cord condition called transverse myelitis, which left her paralysed.
As a wheelchair user, Kitty has spoken about the importance of authentic disabled representation on screen, while ensuring characters are not defined solely by their disability.
While appearing on the podcast White Wine Question Time in 2019, Kitty’s mum, Lucy, revealed her daughter’s condition changed her life. She said: “It’s been the making of us as a family and of her. It’s really phenomenal how I’ve watched a kid – she’s a young woman now – change her life and turn it around.”
EastEnders: Who is Penny’s mum?
Penny’s mum is Jack’s ex-wife, Selina Branning, played by Daisy Beaumont.
She made her first appearance on the soap on 21 January 2008 and was last seen on screen on 14 April 2008. She appeared in just 5 episodes.
EastEnders characters: Where is Penny Branning’s mum now?
Following Penny’s hit-and-run, she and her mother lived in France for many years before Penny returned to Walford.
Selina is currently still living in France. Although she is mentioned on screen from time to time, there are no current plans to bring her back.
Read more: 13 EastEnders spoilers for next week, including Clare’s return and Max kidnaps Tim