    sharon anne mitchell (previously watts, rickman and mitchell) is a fictional character from the bbc one soap opera eastenders and is played by letitia dean. sharon is one of eastenders original characters, appearing in the first episode broadcast on 19 february 1985. the character was created by tony holland and julia smith, the creators of eastenders. sharon was a teenager when the programme began, and is the adoptive daughter of den and angie watts. sharon remained a prominent character into the 1990s due to romantic pairings with brothers grant and phil mitchell. in a long-running storyline dubbed sharongate, sharon, married to grant, has an affair with phil. grant's discovery of the affair remains one of eastenders highest viewed episodes. dean quit the role in 1995 after ten years, with sharon departing following the breakdown of her marriage. in 2001, sharon was reintroduced by producer john yorke. dean continued in the role until january 2006, featuring in storylines including the return of her father den, thought long dead, in 2003 and a love affair with her adoptive half-brother, dennis rickman, which ended in his death. dean dep
EastEnders_characters Fictional_adoptees Fictional_bartenders Fictional_businesspeople Fictional_characters_introduced_in_1985