Tilly Keeper in Hello! Magazine

If you can’t wait until the 15th when Tilly will be appearing on our screens as the latest addition to Albert Square, catch her in this week’s Hello! magazine. Here’s the article:

Life is about to change for Tilly Keeper- she’s joining EastEnders as Phil Mitchell’s daughter Louise. “She’s feisty,” says Tilly, 18, of a character who is four years her junior.

Tilly had completed her A-levels and was taking a gap year to audition for jobs and drama school when she landed the role. “EastEnders was the first audition I had since leaving school,” she says. “I hit the jackpot.”

The programme’s casting director phoned to tell her the good news. “I was laughing in disbelief and then the tears came.”

Tilly, who lives in Chislehurst, south-east London, trained at a performing arts school in her spare time and had auditioned for the BBC soap before. The time she was told the audition was for a character named Grace, as they wanted to keep the identity secret.

“Two days before I started, they sat me down and said, ‘You’re not playing Grace.’ I was like, ‘Wait, so am I still in it?’ They said, ‘You’re Louise Mitchell and your first scene is with Steve McFadden [who plays Phil].

“Steve was so professional and was really helping me out,” she adds. He was acting drunk and shouting at me and I had to give it my all – Louise doesn’t hold back. When they said, ‘It’s a take,’ I had a sigh of relief.”

Joining one of the most-watched TV shows in Britain means Tilly could become a household name. “I’m prepared for the work more than anything,” she says. “Being recognised is a small part of it, it’s nice.”

There’s little chance of fame going to her head. “When I told my mum I’d got the part, she said, ‘Fabulous, I’m so pleased for you Tilly; could you put the kettle on for me?’”