'EastEnders' actress Louisa Lytton has been stunned by the response on social media to her rape storyline on the BBC One soap.
Louisa Lytton
Louisa's alter ego Ruby Allen was sexually assaulted by Ross Swinden (Ossian Luke) and Matt Clarkson (Mitchell Hunt) and viewers have now seen the pair charged with rape but the residents of Albert Square are unsure about whether or not the allegations are true.
The 29-year-old actress returned to the show for the powerful plot after 12 years away and as there were no social media platforms when she was first a regular cast member she's been staggered by the volume of viewers who have got in touch with her to thank her for her work on the storyline.
In an interview on 'This Morning', she said: "I know that this show has a huge impact but when I was in it years ago we didn't have social media so I've never had this experience. People have contacted me to tell me, 'This is my experience,' or, 'This is how the storyline has helped me,' or 'It's confirmed to me that something that happened to me years ago was in fact rape,' or, 'I've now been able to speak out and go to the police.' It's been amazing."
Louisa has taken the responsibility of portraying a rape victim very seriously and has been in contact with charity Rape Crisis constantly to ensure she is getting things right on screen.
She added: "I've been speaking to Rape Crisis everyday on the phone, getting information and help on different scripts and finding out how you would be feeling afterwards and if this makes sense, or that makes sense. With storylines like this you have to do them justice."
Things will come to a head for Ruby in the coming episodes when she has to make a decision of whether or not to continue to press charges after she hears her friends and neighbours doubt the truth or her accusations and then discovers disgusting messages about herself on social media.
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