Anita Dobson has spoken about the profound transformation of London's East End, as the actress expressed her concern about the changing area. The actress, 76, who portrayed Angie Watts in the BBC soap EastEnders from 1985 to 1988, said the area has lost its community spirit after becoming more diverse. Anita, who is married to Queen guitarist Brian May, noted the area's evolution into a multicultural hub with various races and religions, but suggested this cosmopolitan shift has come at a cost.
The actress observed her former neighbourhood has undergone a dramatic demographic change, as she expressed parts of the East End was "completely unrecognisable in a shocking way." The on-screen star explained she once grew up alongside Jewish families who were her closest companions. The area is now home to numerous different ethnicities and faiths.
In a new interview Anita shared she asked her driver to take around the East End and the actress said it was emotional going back to the area and visiting the pub where she used to go with her dad.
"And some of it was completely unrecognisable in a shocking way," she shared. "For example, Brick Lane. It wasn't as I remembered it. The shops were all different and even the street names were different so it was quite a shock."
She continued: "But now there are many, many more different races and colours and accents and voices, and many more religions. So it has been good in a lot of ways, but in some ways you lose something as well.
"Community. We're not a society anymore. We're not social. People don't talk to each other like they used to," Anita told the Telegraph when asked what specifically the area had "lost".
While the Stepney-born performer's childhood council estate remains standing, she explained much of the surrounding streets have changed dramatically.
Anita added that while the East End was a rough place back when she was growing up, she added "but nobody ever hurt women or children".
Meanwhile, the actress and her husband have since quit London after the basement of their Kensington home was flooded with sewage during a storm in 2021.
The couple have since purchased a property in Surrey.
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