EastEnders’ Amy Mitchell actress Ellie Dadd has left fans agasp after revealing a surprising link to two BBC peers
Since joining EastEnders three years ago, Ellie Dadd has handled some major storylines centring on self-harm and mental health as troubled but much-loved teenager Amy Mitchell.
Now she’s prepared to take a break for something more cheerful this Christmas, Ellie will be trading her E20 postcode for Fairfield Halls when she stars as Belle in Beauty And The Beast.
And whilst she’s still only 20, Ellie is a seasoned veteran of pantomime. “I started panto when I was six,” reveals Ellie. “I did it for four years, age six to 10. It was the best time ever,” reports the Mirror.
She signed up to DandB Academy of Performing Arts and encountered her future EastEnders co-stars Tilly Keeper (Louise Mitchell) and Zack Morris (Keegan Baker), who both joined the soap before her.
“It was quite fun seeing them when I got there. I was like, “Oh, my goodness.”
This panto season, however, she will be portraying the princess – something she’s longed for since she was a young girl. “Isn’t it every girl’s dream to play a princess at least once in their lives?” laughs Ellie.
Panto is notoriously demanding, with two shows a day, and leading stars taking just Christmas Day off. But being on EastEnders has prepared Ellie.
“EastEnders has taught me a lot,” she told the publication: “We film 14 scenes a day and we’re there five days a week and if a scene is not going to plan, things need to change quickly.
She added: “You learn to trust your instincts. If things go wrong, you’re like, OK, that’s fine. We can sort it. Everybody’s there for you.”
Just because she’s taking a break to do panto, though, it doesn’t mean Ellie’s character Amy is off screen for long, the soap star confirmed: “They’re just letting me have a couple of weeks off and then I’ll be back.”
However, next year she might be requesting bosses to write her out for a more extended period, as she harbours dreams of emulating fellow Walford performers including Jamie Borthwick (Jay Brown), Bobby Brazier (Freddie Slater) and Molly Rainford (Anna Knight) by tackling the demanding world of Strictly Come Dancing.
It was her visit to the studio to witness the live broadcast that sparked Ellie’s passion for Strictly. She told the Mirror: “If I had the opportunity to do it, I’d absolutely love to do it. I love everything. The costumes, the dancing, just being able to go up there every weekend and put your heart on the line and enjoy yourself.
“It was honestly crazy just to see how it all works, because you don’t really get to see it from watching it at home.”
Nevertheless, Ellie confesses that simply observing the energetic performances left her feeling drained: “I don’t know how those dancers do it every week. They must be exhausted.”
Ellie was a age 17 when she joined the cast of EastEnders and soon found herself the target of a stalker, who received a nine-month suspended sentence just before Christmas 2024, along with a five-year restraining order. Despite this harrowing experience, Ellie maintains that she’s managing the pressures of fame well.
Catch Ellie from 12 December in Beauty And The Beast at Fairfield Halls, London. Purchase tickets at fairfield.co.uk..
