Shona McGarty has talked up the qualities of her EastEnders co-star James Farrar amid their characters' current tragic storyline.
In Monday night's episodes, Whitney and Zack were dealt the devastating news that their unborn baby had been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition known as Edwards' Syndrome.
The pair were then faced with a decision over whether to terminate the pregnancy to spare the baby any suffering, and in heartbreaking scenes, Whitney decided to proceed with the abortion.
"What I think is amazing about the scripts and the storyline is how they're reflecting all of the little triggers, and everything else that a couple would have to go through," said McGarty, who has played Whitney for the last 15 years.
"They're also not forgetting about the man's emotions as well which I thought was so important. It's so lovely that so much of Zack's journey is shown, I think it's really brilliant.
"We went through scripts every day that we were in and we'd run the scenes, as we really wanted to do it justice because we really, really care about it."
Talking about working with Farrar more and more of late, she continued: "He's so funny. He's so spiritual and very open and honest, and so down to Earth.
"He really cares about his job, and he really cares about his craft and that's what is so wonderful about him that he's not afraid to play. He'll always do something different in each take which keeps me on my toes.
"We always challenge each other in scenes, we're always trying to keep it fresh and exciting.
"When James came in to the show it was really fun. Whitney has had a lot of boyfriends in the show, but James gives me a challenge every day which is just brilliant."
EastEnders continues Thursday night at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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