'EastEnders' bosses are said to be keen to sign Shona McGarty up to a three-year deal.
Shona McGarty
The 28-year-old actress' character Whitney Dean is wanted by show boss Kate Oates to be an integral part of storylines over the next few years, which could see Shona land a bumper pay rise, but they reportedly face a fight to keep her on the show.
A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column: "Kate has big plans for her character Whitney but Shona hasn't signed a new deal yet.
"She's in a strong position to get a pay rise and a good deal because Kate has put so many plans around her character.
"They want to get her on a three-year deal."
Shona was handed a huge storyline this year when Whitney got engaged to Callum 'Halfway' Highway (Tony Clay) but the day before their big day she found out he was gay and had slept with Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden).
Whitney has since got together with mystery Albert Square newcomer Leo King (Tom Wells), who viewers know is the son of Whitney's predatory stepfather Tony King (Chris Coghill) - but the fashionista is unaware of the connection.
EastEnders' executive producer Jon Sen recently admitted he and Kate are keen for Whitney to be "front and centre of the show" in upcoming plots.
He said: "We talk often about Whitney, her troubled past, her history with men and her bad luck in relationships.
"Shona plays tragedy so well. Whitney's such a compelling character and she's a character who you can give really tough stories to and she plays them with such conviction and power.
"When I joined, Kate and I had a conversation and said, 'We're fascinated by Whitney, the enigma, this character with this past we all know about and the fact she can never find happiness, and where do we go?'
"We agreed we wanted to push her front and centre of the show in terms of investing in that character and this story becomes a chapter in a much longer arc that we have planned.
"Without saying too much, it becomes [clear] that this is just one more chapter in her story. But over time, over the next 18 months, she learns from everything you're going to see coming up."
Kate added: "We know where we're taking Whitney across a couple of years, which is always a joy with a character because we don't always get that."
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