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Elaine Peacock is the mother of Linda Carter and grandmother of Lee, Nancy, Johnny, Ollie and Annie Carter. She made her first appearance on 14 October 2014 and last on 30 June 2017, however she returned on 10 May 2023. She was originally portrayed by Maria Friedman, but was recast to Harriet Thorpe.

Storylines

2014-2017

Mick Carter calls her to Walford for the first time in October 2014 when Linda starts acting strangely, refusing to be intimate with him and complaining of migraines. Elaine convinces Linda to dress up and work the bar during a musical bingo night run by her granddaughter Nancy Carter, and later becomes suspicious when she notices tension between her daughter and Dean Wicks. She accuses Linda of having an affair with him, revealing that she cheated on Linda's deceased father John before his death. Linda denies this passionately and Elaine believes her, but still sensing something is wrong, warns Dean to stay away from Linda.

She returns to Walford in December and finds out that Linda was raped. Elaine then allows Mick and Linda to stay with her for a while to escape the Square. Elaine returns for an event at The Vic, and then again when Linda has her five-month scan. After the scan, she breaks down to Elaine, revealing her fears that the baby is Dean's, not Mick's. It is later but finally revealed that after Linda gives birth prematurely to baby Ollie Carter, he is Mick's son.

One year after Linda's rape, Mick arranges for Elaine to take her on holiday. They return early, and Elaine brings with her new toyboy fiancé, Jason Adams with her. The Carters are at first cautious of Jason, particularly Linda, which frustrates Elaine. Mick and Linda hear somebody downstairs, and when they investigate, they find Jason naked with Mick's great-aunt, Babe Smith. Mick and Linda force Babe to get Jason to leave, without Elaine knowing. However, when Elaine teases Babe as to how she has never had a man in her life, Babe claims that she had sex with Jason. Elaine does not believe her and accuses her of trying to cause trouble for her and Jason. However, later that day, Babe plays a recording on her mobile phone to Elaine, the Carters and the pub's customers of Jason persuading her to help him rob the pub, revealing their one-night stand in the process. Elaine is furious and slaps Babe for humiliating her and for cheating with her fiancé, before Mick orders Jason to leave. Linda then persuades Elaine to listen to Babe's version of events, which reveal that she did not have sex with Jason, but they came close. Elaine manages to forgive Babe, but when Jason arrives for his belongings, she, Babe and Linda are all stunned at how remorseless he is for hurting the family. Linda throws Jason out.

Elaine is thrilled when Linda and Mick plan to marry, but causes tension when she tries to take over the planning. Mick is able to get her involved in a nativity play, so she does not have time to plan the wedding. Once the couple marry, Elaine decides to return to Watford. She returns when Ollie is injured and may have brain damage. Linda misses a health worker's visit, so Elaine takes charge.

On Christmas Eve 2016, Linda receives a phonecall from a hospital in Spain informing her that Elaine has suffered a severe stroke and it is unknown whether she will recover. Linda decides she has to leave Walford with her son Johnny Carter to be with and support her mother through her illness. After six months away caring for Elaine, Linda returns to Walford for her 40th birthday party. However, she returns to Watford the same evening. It is revealed that Elaine has recovered and that her stroke was not as severe as first made out, and that she and Linda are hiding a secret. Linda's secret is later revealed to be that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer while caring for Elaine, however, she survives.

2023 to present: Return and co-owning the Vic

In January 2023, Linda decides to sell Mick's share of the pub after his presumed death. She receives offers from Sharon Watts and Nish Panesar, however she lies to both of them, as she is secretly selling it to Elaine. Elaine returns on 10 May 2023, much to Linda's shock. Linda had just told Sharon she was going with another buyer, and Sharon feels even more betrayed when she finds out it was Elaine. Elaine quickly makes an impact, introducing herself to the locals and giving out free drinks. Later that night, Linda and Elaine are awoken by the Vic being trashed. Elaine grabs the iron and heads downstairs with Linda, who grabs a baseball bat, and they discover nobody is there. However, they discover the glass flamingo that Nish had got Linda, was left unharmed on the bar as a calling card.

The following day, Elanie cleans up the rubbish, and when Linda throws the glass flamingo in the bag, she notices a photo of her and Mick in the bag. Linda takes it out. Later that day, Elaine changes the rota in the Vic and tells Alfie Moon he's not needed that afternoon. She also moved the crisps and rearranges the barrel store, all of these actions annoy Linda. Elaine later speaks to Vinny Panesar about him trashing the Vic, but he denies it. Eve Unwin tries to convince her to back down, and she agrees to do so. When Elaine goes back inside, Linda tells Elaine that she asked her to buy into the Vic as she's still missing Mick, not to be backup to help with Annie and Ollie. Elaine later asks Linda why she thinks Mick didn't mean anything to her, and tells Linda that she's been where she is. Elaine reveals that the reason she didn't come sooner is because she herself was missing Mick and that him being gone was too painful. Linda then makes Elaine promise to put the thing with Nish to bed as the two are a team. Elaine then goes to find Nish, Vinny and Suki and apologises to them, unbanning them from the Vic. When she gets back home, Elaine calls someone and says it's good to hear their voice and that the sooner they join her, The better. Elaine later convinces Linda to fire Alfie, upsetting both him and Linda.

On 1 June 2023, it is revealed that Elaine was calling her partner, George Knight. Linda is angry at Elaine, telling George and his daughters Anna Knight and Gina Knight they aren't staying. Elaine tells Linda she didn't tell her about George as they'd gotten together when Linda and Mick were going through the divorce, and then she lost Mick. Elaine and George convince Linda to let them stay as she needs George's expertise to stop the Vic from closing.

The next week, Elaine is woken up by George and the two have sex. The two then joke about this at breakfast to the girls before Linda tells them to make room for Ollie to have his breakfast. Elaine later speaks to Linda about having a party to celebrate their arrival, but not wanting it to be too soon after Lola's death, and Linda tells them to let her family bury her first. Linda later speaks to Elaine about how Ollie needs his routine and that he's not a fan of all the new people in his life, but Elaine says George is great with him and that the sisters will grow on him. She then tells the two girls to pick up Ollie from school and take him from chips, once again frustrating Linda as she’ll need to let the school know. Linda later confronts Elaine, asking that if they're equal partners, why didn't George give her any money for the pub. Linda then demands George leaves and goes to pack their stuff, but Elaine puts her foot down saying she's the new co-owner, but Linda brings up Jason, causing Elaine to storm off. Elaine later speaks with Linda outside, telling her she's not felt the love she has for George since her dad. Linda says she's only known him a year and can't trust him. The two head back inside, and Linda tells George to stay away from Elaine, but George then proposed to Elaine in front of Linda, Gina, Anna, Bobby Beale and Freddie Slater. Elaine initially says no as she wanted him to ask but wanted it to be perfect. George goes to The Boxing Den and begin punching a punch bag, Phil spots him and asks George if he's okay. George tell Phil about what happened and Phil advises him to fight for her, George proposes to Elaine again and this time she says yes. George and Elaine then go back into the Vic and announce their engagement, leaving Linda furious. Gina is upset by the news and storms off but is followed by George, Gina says to George that he never talks about her mother anymore. George tells her Elaine will never replace her mother and she can go back to the bar in Spain if she's not happy in Walford, Gina says that she's not going back to the bar just to leave when George sells it. George then tells Gina that he is not selling the bar any time soon, Linda overhears the whole conversation and begins doing research. Linda finds out George's bar is only worth £255,000. Linda once again confronts George and accuses him of having no intention of selling his bar, George then threatens Linda telling her to mind her own business as he is sticking around.

George later arouses Linda's suspicion when he brings a safe into the pub, Linda attempts to break into the safe but George catches her. During a row George shows Linda what's in the safe. Letters from his ex wife, George says he didn't want Elaine to see them in case she found it weird, Linda finally decides to give George a chance. However, George is later seen acting dodgy possessing a ring with his wife's name on it. Elaine later attempts to set Gina up with Freddie, however unbeknownst to Elaine Freddie thinks that Elaine is flirting with him when she asks if he's single. Gina starts flirting with Zack, but he tells her that he's dating Whitney Dean. Elaine believes that Gina is flirting with Freddie and tells her she has a chance, believing that she has set them two up.

When Kathy Beale and Tom Cotton get married, Elaine attends Kathy’s hen do when there Kathy jokingly kisses Elaine. Elaine also hosts the two’s wedding party at the Vic, where Tom’s ex wife, Jo Cotton, shows up, and her and Kathy have a fight. Elaine and George break it up. When £200 goes missing from the till at the Vic, Elaine suggests to Linda it was Tracey, but Linda says it isn’t. It later turns out to be Anna.

Anna is given her mother's number by Gabriel Chang and she informs her family, George reveals that the number she has been given is the number that Rose (real name later revealed to be Cindy Beale) has had all along and reveals he has called her himself many times but she doesn't care. Anna then leaves the room and begins crying, after a heart-to-heart between George, Gina and Elaine they decide to give Anna their blessing and Anna calls Cindy leaving a voicemail.

George organises a twenty first birthday party for Anna along with Elaine and they invite multiple residents to the Vic for the party, Anna and Gina then go out for drinks at The Prince Albert for drinks before arriving back at the Vic and Anna is touched by the birthday party. Cindy returns to Walford to find Peter and Ian also turns up to try and get Cindy to come back to France however Cindy runs in to George and the two are shocked to see each other again. Elaine later meets Cindy for the first time and takes an instant disliking to her.

Cindy later finds out from Anna that George is selling their bar in Marbella, Cindy tells Ian that she plans to demand half of the money from the sale from George. When Cindy tells George that she wants half the money he reluctantly agrees, Cindy later kisses George but he pulls away but both are seen by Gina who believes they both kissed. Gina later tells Elaine about George and Cindy's kiss but George tells Elaine that Cindy kissed him, Elaine forgives him but tells him to prove that he doesn't still love Cindy, George later tells Cindy that he will not be giving her half of the Marbella bar. Cindy declares war on the Knights and they tell her to bring it on. When Elaine and Cindy have another row Elaine agrees to go for lunch with Cindy for the girls, Elaine and Cindy sort out their differences and agree to be civil with eachother.

On 30 October 2023 when George gives Cindy half or the money from the Marbella bar and Elaine finds out she falls out with George, accusing him of constantly lying. Elaine later makes up with George after Linda convinces her to hear him out when she tells Elaine that she would still be drinking if Ollie and Annie weren't so young as she still misses Mick. Later that day Dean returns and corners Linda in the same Kitchen that he raped her in in 2014. Dean orders Linda not to scream, however Linda pulls a knife on him and tells him to leave.

When Dean continues to harass Linda she and Alfie begin to put fliers around the square, Dean threatens to sue Linda if she doesn't take them down. Elaine later convinces Linda to take them down to avoid being sued however Gina later spray paints 'rapist' on the pie and mash shop (now named Beale's Eels). When Dean, Cindy and Ian later confronts Linda she denies being behind the spray painting. Gina then admits that she was behind the spray painting, Linda thanks Gina for having her back. Dean later tries to talk to Linda however George and Cindy see him, when Dean tells George to mind his own business and accuses Linda and George of sleeping with eachother George hits Dean, causing Dean to fall down the stairs knocking him out. Cindy initially agrees not to say anything to the police but is later persuaded by Ian not to lie to the police, Linda visits Dean in hospital and begs him not to tell the police what George did. Dean agrees not to speak to the police as long as Linda tells everyone that he didn't rape her. Linda agrees but only tells Dean, however Dean records her saying that he didn't rape her.

On Christmas day 2023 George and Elaine go to the Beale's to see Anna and Gina when they decide to spend Christmas with Cindy, Elaine and George decide to go to a hotel for the night unaware that over at the Vic Dean had broken in to the Vic and Linda had killed Keanu Taylor to defend Sharon after Keanu had attacked her. On New Year's Day, George's adoptive parents Eddie and Gloria Knight arrive in Watford and Cindy flees when she sees Eddie, George later discovers that Gloria and Eddie were paid to adopt him by his birth parents. George is devastated and this leads to an argument with Elaine when he refuses to open up to her, George seeks out Cindy to talk and Cindy helps George do some research into his background, Cindy discovers articles of white British families in the 1960's that would buy African children. George then realises that he is likely African and not Jamacian as he had always thought, George later tells Elaine about his problems and him and Elaine make up. Elaine notices Gina is texting on her phone a lot but does not make anything of it, however it's later revealed that Gina and Dean have started a secret relationship together. Anna and Bobby plan to go on a date, Cindy doesn't approve and tells Bobby that it is nothing personal but that he isn't good enough for Anna and that they won't last but Bobby wins her around by comparing himself to Steve Rodgers (superman). Anna tells Elaine that Bobby is kind and that she likes him, Elaine jokingly tells Anna to marry him. Ian books the two a table at Walford East and at the end of the date Bobby and Anna kiss in front of their families. Dean enters the Vic with flowers and kisses Gina infront of Elaine, George and Linda. Dean reveals he and Gina are in a relationship leaving the three furious.



See also

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