Donna Ludlow
{{EastEnders_Character|image=|character_name=Donna Ludlow|actor_name=
Matilda Ziegler|years=
1987â€"
1989|dob=
1965|dod=
13 April 1989|status=
Deceased|occupation=Unemployed|family=
Kathy,
Ian,
Ben|
Donna Ludlow was a
fictional character in the
BBC soap opera EastEnders. She was played by
Matilda Ziegler.
Donna was a troubled individual, desperate for attention, but shunned by almost all who encountered her. After finding out she was conceived as the result of
rape and abandoned by her mother, she set herself on a path of self-destruction. She turned to manipulation,
blackmail and
prostitution to fund her drug-habit, before finally committing
suicide in
1989.
Donna first arrived in
Albert Square in August
1987, when she came in search of her mother,
Kathy Beale. Kathy had fallen
pregnant with Donna following her
rape when she was only fourteen, and unable to cope with a child born from such horrific circumstances, she gave the baby up for
adoption.
Earlier in the year Kathy had received a visit from Donna's
God-Mother, who brought news that Donna wanted to meet her. Kathy refused, however, and told her that she wanted nothing to do with her illegitimate daughter (although she neglected to inform her about the circumstances of Donna's conception). Undeterred, Donna moved to the square to be near her mother, and for the first year she kept her identity a secret.
Upon arriving Donna secured herself a job working at the 'First til Last' for
Naima Jeffery and was soon accosted by
Den Watts, who offered her a job as barmaid at
The Queen Vic.
Donna spent the next few months trying to get close to Kathy and her family, which only succeeded in irritating Kathy and left her wondering why Donna was so interested in her.Donna compulsively lied to substantiate her fake persona and she soon began to buckle under the pressure of hiding her real identity. It wasn't long before her lies began to get spotted by the residents of Albert Square, who quickly began to turn against her.
In an attempt to get even closer to her mother, Donna took to anonymously calling the
Samaritans (where Kathy worked) to discuss her fabricated problems. Kathy eventually twigged that it was Donna calling and started to suspect that she was not all that she seemed.
Donna then started making a play for Kathy's son (and her
brother),
Ian. Ian was smitten, but Kathy was against the relationship progressing and after furiously telling her to keep away from her son, Donna finally blurted out the truth about her parentage. She proceeded to vent her frustration about being rejected to a shocked Kathy, and confessed that she only wanted a mother to love her and to be a part of her life. Kathy was mortified, however, and ordered Donna to leave the square, telling her she wanted nothing to do with her. Although the rejection hurt Donna, she wasn't perturbed, and proceeded to cause as much trouble for Kathy as she possibly could, firstly by persisting in flirting with Ian, forcing Kathy to confess Donna's identity, and secondly by informing Kathy's husband
Pete that she was having an affair with her boss,
James Wilmott-Brown. After it seemed nothing would put Donna off Kathy finally cracked and told her that she was the product of
rape.
Donna was unhinged by this news, and spent the rest of the year in a downward spiral. She obsessively chased
Simon Wicks, who only used her for
sex and frequently pitted her against his new squeeze,
Cindy Williams. The subsequent fights culminated in her losing her job at The Vic and by August
1988 she was
homeless.
Michelle Fowler and
Sharon Watts took pity and allowed her to stay with them, but after she tried to come between them she was thrown out and by September, she was living in an abandoned
squat on the square.
After Donna's manipulative games were uncovered, no one on the square wanted anything to do with her and it wasn't long before she'd started using
heroin. Predictably, Donna was soon addicted and began stealing from anyone she could, in order to pay for her next fix.
In December of 1988, now completely taken over by her addiction, Donna turned to extortion to fund her drug-habit. Fresh from winning a sizable sum at the
horses,
Ali Osman celebrated his success in The Vic, telling anyone who cared to listen about his lucky win. His boasting attracted the attention of Donna, who proceeded to take advantage of his inebriated state and the two ended the night in bed together. However Donna was only out to
blackmail Ali, and the following day she threatened to tell his wife,
Sue, about the affair unless he supplied her with regular monetary installments.
Ali's money wasn't enough to supply her with drugs for long, however, and in February 1989, Donna ended up resorting to
prostitution, by agreeing to sleep with her drug-dealer, 'Spike Murphey', in exchange for
smack. However, she soon regretted her decision when Spike brought five of his reprobate friends along and Donna was almost subjected to a vicious
gang rape, which was stopped only by
Rod Norman's chance appearance. Rod desperately tried to straighten Donna out following this, but his efforts were not appreciated by Donna, who only continued to carry on using behind his back.
Donna's manipulation worsened later that month when she concocted a plan to earn herself some more money by telling the entire square that both her parents had been killed in a car-crash. Everyone on the square was sympathetic and rallied together a huge sum of money, which Donna gleefully accepted. However Donna's sick lies were uncovered once again when a woman entered the pub and announced that she was Donna's foster mother. She had been contacted by Rod in a vain attempt to get her off the smack. This was the beginning of the end for Donna, as her family and neighbours turned their backs on her after this (all except
Dot Cotton, who took her in and had yet another go at trying to get her help). Donna hit back by spreading a rumour that
Colin Russell had
AIDS and telling Sue Osman about her sordid affair with Ali; destroying their already rocky marriage in one fell swoop.
However, they were hollow victories, and after Rod abandoned her and she was rejected yet again by Kathy, Donna flipped, took an overdose of heroin and choked to death on her own
vomit. Donna was found dead by Dot on the 13th April 1989 and few mourned her passing.
*Mother:
Kathy Hills (deceased)
*Father:
Marcus Duffy*Maternal grandparents:
Dennis Hills,
Brenda Hills*Half-brothers:
Ian Beale,
Ben Mitchell*Nephews:
Peter Beale,
Bobby Beale*Niece:
Lucy Beale*Uncle:
Ted Hills*Cousins:
Sarah Hills,
Tony Hills*Adoptive father:
Gerald Ludlow*
Donna Ludlow, BBC character profile*
Donna Ludlow, EastEnders cast card
