When Letitia Dean first appeared on EastEnders – in the very first episode actually – in 1985, she was a blemish free 18 year old…

However, though she is still absolutely stunning some 27 years later, time has inevitably taken its toll – as it’s wont to do after 40 when everything heads south or shrivels and hair appears in places it has no business being – and as EastEnders is now filmed in high definition, Letitia has resorted to using cosmetics to hide any sign of wrinkles.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Letitia – who we’ll see return to the Square on Monday, August 13th – said, “I’m having such a lovely time. Even getting up at 5.30am isn’t jarring yet.

“I’ve got my special eye cream. I mean, HD is so cruel, isn’t it? Who invented that? It must be a man.”

And while explaining that she was nervous about coming back to the long running soap, Letitia said, “I’ve still got the first-day-at-school nerves where your stomach’s flipping over…

“But it was great seeing everyone.”

Sharon’s return storyline begins when her fiancé John, who’s played by Jessie Birdsall, ditches her at the altar and abducts her young son Dennis, whose dad is of course Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman) who evil gangster Johnny Allen had murdered on New Year’s Eve in 2005.

Here’s the brilliant promo that the BBC released to herald Sharon’s return…