(previously '''Beale''' and '''Mitchell''') was a
Fictional Character in the
British Soap Opera ''
EastEnders ''. She was played by
Gillian Taylforth . Her latest surname is unknown, so she is referred to in this article by her maiden name, Kathy Hills (which would've been her name upon her divorce and before her most recent marriage).
Kathy was married to
Pete Beale , and together they were parents to
Ian Beale . Before the first episode, she had already been
Raped when she was 14 by music teacher Marcus Duffy, resulting in a pregnancy, and her daughter was given up for adoption. This fact was revealed to inhabitants of the Square after
Nick Cotton broke into Dr Legg's surgery and read her medical files.
Kathy was raped again in
1988 by James Wilmott-Brown, her boss at the pub ''The Dagmar''. Pete couldn't cope with this, and their marriage broke down.
Shortly before the incident with Wilmott-Brown, Kathy learned that resident
Donna Ludlow was in fact the daughter she had given up for adoption many years ago. Kathy found herself unable to accept Donna during the tough period as she only reminded her of the first rape. Donna's life delved into deep depression as she turned to drugs and prostitution, and blackmailed Ali Osman about their affair. Donna later overdosed on
Heroin in
1989 and died after choking on her own vomit.
Later, Wilmott-Brown was found guilty of the rape and Kathy found unexpected support in the form by Pete and his first wife,
Pat Wicks , with whom she had initially been at daggers with when Pat first turned up in Walford, but the rape and the death of Kathy's mother-in-law,
Lou Beale , pushed them together as friends (as both found they had a common bond with the dominance of Lou in their lives). Pat and Kathy eventually became each other's closest friend and confidante over the years despite the ominous presence of Cindy Beale (who had affairs with both of Pat's sons whilst married to Kathy's son, Ian). Pete later died in a car crash in
1994 with his girlfriend Rose Chapman. The circumstances were mysterious, and it is believed that the family of Rose's late gangster husband, Alfie, arranged the accident in revenge for Rose's affair.
In
1994 ,
Phil Mitchell proposed to Kathy and she accepted, after he finally secured his
Divorce from Nadia Borovac, a
Romanian Refugee who turned up in
Walford to ruin their romance. However on the night of the engagement party, Kathy learned of Phil's affair with Sharon (his brother Grant's wife) some years previous (although this occurred ''before'' Kathy started a relationship with Phil, Kathy was still disgusted with the pair because she was close friends with Phil's brother,
Grant ), and Kathy slapped Sharon, calling her a slut.
Kathy found herself
Pregnant by Phil and gave birth to a baby boy, Ben, in
1996 , after they married. But Phil and Kathy were arguing at the end of the year, which became more violent as Phil became an alcoholic. The marriage became increasingly stormy, often ending in violent rows, and Kathy finally ended the marriage and stated that it was the biggest mistake of her life.
Kathy then grew very close to Phil's brother
Grant , and admitted that she had married the wrong brother. She also had a brief encounter with Reverend Alex Healy, and both of them (as well as Phil) wanted to move to
Cape Town ,
South Africa with her, but she fled alone to get away from Walford altogether and its ties.
Kathy returned in
September 1999 , and it seemed that there was a possible reconciliation on the cards for her and Phil. Instead of making up with her ex-husband, she picked up where she left off with Grant and they had a fling. Kathy then revealed this to Phil just before she went home, and admitted that it made her realise that she could never reunite with him. This led to a dramatic showdown between the Mitchell brothers while they were doing a robbery when Phil confronted his brother about what his ex-wife had told him, and this led to Grant's revelation that he only did it in revenge for Phil sleeping with Sharon years earlier. Phil was devastated that he had lost his chance to be with his son Ben and pulled a gun on Grant, who was saved by the sound of police sirens and forced Phil to get inside a car and escape. While in a getaway car Phil was still upset over losing Ben again and ended up shooting at the steering wheel causing Grant to crash the car into the
River Thames . Phil was saved but Grant was nowhere to be seen, however he fled to
Rio in
Brazil a week later with daughter Courtney.
Kathy returned again a short while for son Ian's short-lived wedding to
Melanie Healy on
Millennium Eve. Since then she has married a man named Gavin in
South Africa .
On
20th February 2006 , Gavin's sister called Ian's partner,
Jane Collins , to say that Gavin and Kathy had been in an accident involving a 13-year old boy who was joyriding and crashed into the pair's car. Gavin was in critical condition in hospital but Kathy had been
Killed outright (since the other vehicle smashed straight into the passenger door, where she was seated). A heartbroken Ian travelled to
South Africa to sort things out and came home with Ben after Gavin died. Ian and Jane tried to keep Ben's return a secret from Peggy, however she saw him when she visited the Beale household and was persuaded by Jane to keep Ben's presence a secret from Phil until the boy had settled properly into the Square.
