EastEnders ‘wonder woman’ tearful as she hugs co-star after London Marathon
Laura was delighted to see her on-screen son
There’s no two ways about it, EastEnders’ Nicola Mitchell is utterly fearsome.
With a typical Mitchell gangster past, a withering stare that could reduce fully grown men to a quivering wreck and a tongue as sharp as a machete, her formidable reputation is completely understandable: she’s not someone you’d ever want as an enemy.
Behind the scenes, though, actress Laura Doddington is universally beloved by her fellow cast members, crew and fans alike.
Running the London Marathon to raise money for Alzheimers Research UK, Laura uploaded a picture to Instagram of her being warmly embraced by her on-screen son, Elijah Holloway (Harry Mitchell), with ‘If ever the was a picture that summed up how I feel about today, it’s this’ written across it.
The post itself was captioned with: ‘This day, this man! I feel so incredibly lucky to have been able to run the London marathon but seeing [Elijah] was just what I needed!’
Her comment section was flooded with love, with James Farrar who plays Zack Hudson typing: ‘SOLID. We love you Dodger’, alongside Jaden Ladega, who plays Denzel Danes adding: ‘Congrats Dodders all the love!’.
EastEnders icon, Diane Parish, who plays Denise Fox wrote: ‘Well done Wonder Woman’, while Vicki Fowler actor, Alice Haig, agreed: ‘This is the best’ and Dayo Koleosho, better known as Kojo Asare, said: ‘Congratulations Laura, much love, God bless you’
@synicalsally87 commented: ‘Well done Nicola, can’t be an easy thing to do, I wouldn’t be able to do five minutes without needing an ambulance’ and @scarlettwinningale said: ‘Congratulations Laura So so proud of you! Keep shining and doing incredible things’.
@mrs_bea_kind said: ‘Huge congratulations to you, I followed your training for this, I hope you are ok. I sponsored and thank you for raising money for a fantastic charity’, while @therehabilitationroom added: ‘Congratulations Laura, I’m so proud of you! The determination you have had this past month to make this day has been amazing, and I’m so glad to have been even a small part of your journey to completing the race!’
Laura announced her participation in the marathon last month, taking to Instagram with a collage of four images.
‘Well it seems like it is now time to share the news. I am running the London Marathon 2026 for @alzheimersresearchuk,’ she began the caption.
‘I have 5 weeks left of training to go and it’s safe to say that this feels like the hardest thing I have ever done in my whole life. Training has been horrendous, especially in the weather we have had, not to mention trying to fit it in around Nicola and her heels!
‘But the struggle I am facing is nothing compared to those dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia. So if you would like to support an amazing charity (and an absolutely knackered 45 year old!), please click the link in my bio!’
Alzheimers Research UK themselves wrote beneath the post: ‘You’re a superstar, Laura, and we’re so proud to have you running with us! Thank you for all your hard work in supporting our search for a cure. You’ve got this.’
Heather Peace, who plays Eve Panesar-Unwin wrote beneath the post: ‘You’re amazing! Such a gruesome training, especially in Winter. I feel your pain matey. But you’ll cross that line and it’s all worth it. You can rock that one off and be done with it’
Aaron Thiara (Ravi Gulati), Clair Norris (Bernie Taylor), Kitty Castledine (Penny Branning) each left a slew of supportive emoji’s, too.
