Donna Ludlow
| Donna Ludlow | |||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Matilda Ziegler | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1987–1989 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 265 27 August 1987 |
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| Last appearance | Episode 437 13 April 1989 |
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| Introduced by | Julia Smith | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
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| Father | Marcus Duffy |
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| Mother | Kathy Beale |
| Adoptive father | Gerald Ludlow |
| Adoptive mother | Mrs Ludlow |
| Half-brothers |
Ian Beale Ben Mitchell |
Donna Ludlow is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Matilda Ziegler between 27 August 1987 and 13 April 1989. Donna was scripted as a troubled individual, desperate for attention, but shunned by almost all who encountered her. In her storyline, after finding out she was conceived from rape and then rejected by her mother, Donna sets herself on a path of self-destruction. She turns to manipulation, blackmail and prostitution to fund her drug-habit, before choking to death on her own vomit in 1989.
Donna, conceived when 14-year-old Kathy Hills (Gillian Taylforth) was raped by Marcus Duffy and adopted by the Ludlow family, hopes for a reconciliation with Kathy when she discovered she was adopted. Her godmother, June Watkins (Madaline Blakeney), visits Kathy and tells her that Donna would like to meet her. Kathy refuses, telling June she wants nothing to do with Donna. Undeterred, Donna moves to Walford to be near her mother. For the first year she keeps her identity a secret and works as a barmaid at The Queen Victoria public house and takes to anonymously ringing up the Samaritans, where Kathy volunteers, but Kathy starts to suspect the caller's identity. Kathy becomes more concerned when Donna shows interest in her son Ian (Adam Woodyatt), and Ian seems to be attracted to her, unaware that she's his half-sister. When Kathy tells Donna to stay away from Ian, Donna finally tells her who she is. Mortified, Kathy orders Donna to leave, telling her she gave her away and wants nothing to do with her.
Hurt by such rejection, Donna retaliates by causing as much trouble for Kathy as she can. She continues to flirt with Ian, forcing Kathy to tell him who she is and hints to Kathy's husband, Pete (Peter Dean), that Kathy might be having an affair with James Wilmott-Brown (William Boyde). Finally Kathy tells Donna that the reason she gave her up was because she was the product of rape. Unhinged by this bombshell, Donna goes into a downward spiral. She stalks Simon Wicks (Nick Berry) who only uses her for sex, and when he pits her against his new fling, Cindy Williams (Michelle Collins), the subsequent fights mean she loses her job at the pub; by August 1988, she is homeless. Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully) and Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) take pity and allow her to stay with them but after Donna tries to come between them, they throw her out. By September, she is living in an abandoned squat on the Square. After Donna's manipulations are discovered, the community shuns her. Depressed, she starts using heroin and is soon addicted and stealing to fund her habit; by December 1988, she turns to extortion. One day, Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih) comes into the Vic to celebrate his win at the horses. His boasting attracts Donna's attention and she takes advantage of his inebriation to seduce him and threatens to tell his wife, Sue (Sandy Ratcliff), about the one-night stand unless he pays her regularly. But by February 1989 that well runs so dry that Donna resorts to prostitution, agreeing to sleep with her drug-dealer, Spike Murphy, in exchange for smack. Spike brings his sleazy friends along and a vicious gang rape is only stopped by Rod Norman's (Christopher McHallem) chance appearance. Following this, Rod tries unsuccessfully to get Donna off heroin.
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