Mandy Salter

Amanda 'Mandy' Salter arrives in Albert Square in March 1992 when her hospitalised mother, ''Lorraine (Linda Henry), leaves her in Pat Butcher's care. She makes friends with Sam Butcher but eventually leaves the Butchers as she feels unwanted by Pat's husband, Frank Butcher. She then begins squatting.

Mandy is a troublesome teenager. She blackmails Ian Beale, threatening to divulge that he visits prostitutes unless he employs her. Ian does not succumb, so Mandy survives by stealing, conning people and relying on charity.

After Mandy is evicted from her squat, Kathy Beale allows her to live with her, but Mandy is eventually thrown out when she is caught spreading rumours that Kathy has been abusing her. Mandy ends 1992 homeless and sleeping in a makeshift shanty. Mark Fowler and Steve Elliot eventually let Mandy stay with them, but Mandy's stirring contributes to the demise of Steve's relationship with Hattie Tavernier; Mandy and Hattie maintain an antagonistic relationship throughout their time together in Walford.

On Christmas Eve 1992, Mandy receives a Christmas card from her mother, telling her she is visiting. However, Lorraine never arrives, so on Christmas Day, Mandy returns to Lorraine's flat but finds her mother's boyfriend, Garry, instead. He is abusive to Mandy and starts beating her, until she is rescued by Mark.

Mandy meets trainee footballer, Aidan Brosnan in 1993. They begin dating, but Mandy is a bad influence on Aidan and encourages him to skip football practice, get drunk and use ecstasy. This results in an intoxicated Aidan falling and damaging his knee, and following a subsequent injury, Aidan is told that his career in professional football is over.

The loss of his dream hits Aidan badly, but by now Mandy has fallen for him in a big way, and when he returns to Ireland, she follows him. Both soon return, having had a poor reception from Aidan's family. The young lovers are unable to find work so they begin sleeping on the streets and squatting. To get money, Mandy and Aidan beg and occasionally do odd jobs. It is on one such occasion that Grant Mitchell leaves his wife Sharon Mitchell's pet poodle, Roly, in Mandy's care. However, Mandy loses control of Roly and he dies after running straight into an oncoming truck, devastating Sharon. Mandy later cleans Harold Legg's] surgery, but after stealing prescription slips and selling them to drug dealers, she is sacked. She then turns to 'clipping', acting as a prostitute then running off with the customer's money without performing the sexual service. However, the other prostitutes in Kings Cross beat Mandy and after she is arrested, Aidan makes her promise to stop. When Richard Cole starts a smear campaign against them, accusing them of being behind a series of robberies around the Square, everyone turns on them. Aidan becomes depressed and on Christmas Day 1993 he attempts to commit suicide by threatening to jump off the top of a tower block. Mandy manages to stop him but Aidan realises that Mandy is bad for him, and he returns to his family in Ireland.

Mandy is distraught at losing Aidan. Pauline Fowler takes sympathy and allows her to stay with her; Mandy sees New Year 1994 in, huddled and sobbing on the Fowlers' couch. Early in 1994, Mandy turns to Ricky Butcher for comfort and they have a one-night stand. However, this only makes Mandy realise how much she misses Aidan, and she rejects Ricky's further advances. All alone, Mandy leaves Albert Square one dark night in January 1994, repaying the Fowlers' kindness by stealing Pauline's purse and hitching a ride with a lorry driver, who is heading west on the M11. She leaves Walford well and truly behind her.

17 years
Mandy is not seen again for 17 years until Ian Beale stumbles across her being thrown out of a strip club. She asks Ian for help, lying that the man is an old boyfriend who is obsessed with her, and he takes her back to Walford. However the man follows them there and it transpires that he is Mandy's boss at the strip club and she has stolen £5,000 of his money. Following this Ian throws Mandy out, but after dwelling on some home truths from her he relents and allows her to stay with him.