her system. The story was later developed when Keanu slept with and developed a relationship with Sharon’s stepdaughter Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) whilst she was away, and later returned to find them kissing. Despite the affair ending, it was later expanded when both Louise got pregnant by him and later Sharon too when they slept together again when Keanu believed Louise had aborted his baby. During the course of 2019, it became a prominent storyline, with nods to "Sharongate". The couple became referred to as "Sheanu" by fans and critics. In September 2019, it was reported that Sharon would be involved in a major car stunt with Mel Owen (Tamzin Outhwaite). These scenes aired in November, when Sharon indirectly caused Mel to crash after a feud with her after she blackmails her when she finds out about the affair. In October 2019, it was revealed that the paternity test and affair will come out to Phil around Christmas Day; almost a year and half after the storyline started. Reception Sharon has been dubbed one of the "most popular" characters in EastEnders. Television critic Matt Bayliss, who once wrote storylines for EastEnders, suggested in 2010 that what made Sharon an interesting, classic, female character was that her psychology was laid bare; viewers could see how her troubled upbringing contributed to the mistakes she made and the low self-esteem she had in latter life. In December 2004 the Sunday Mirror reported that executive producer Kathleen Hutchison offered to double Dean's salary from £150,000 a year to £300,000 a year, to persuade her to remain in the show, making her one of the highest paid actresses in British soap opera. In a 2007 poll carried out by Inside Soap, Sharon, who was then on a hiatus from EastEnders, was voted the character that readers most wanted to see return. In a NTL poll in 2003, one third of viewers picked Sharon's comeback in 2001 as their favourite, and in a Radio Times poll of over 5,000 people in 2004, 21% chose Sharon as the soap character they were most pleased to see return. Letitia Dean has been nominated for multiple awards for her portrayal of Sharon. In 1995, she was nominated in the "Most Popular Actress" category at the National Television Awards. Dean was nominated for the "Best Actress Award" at the British Soap Awards in 2004, and she was also nominated in