{"id":14446,"date":"2022-04-26T21:00:13","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T19:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1632438"},"modified":"2022-04-26T21:14:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T19:14:32","slug":"eastenders-to-air-postnatal-depression-plot-for-stuart-highway","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/eastenders-to-air-postnatal-depression-plot-for-stuart-highway\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders to air postnatal depression plot for Stuart Highway"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Laura Denby\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 26 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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BBC soap EastEnders<\/a> is set to explore postnatal depression in fatherhood in an upcoming new storyline for Stuart Highway (played by Ricky Champ).<\/p>\n

Stuart has been seen battling breast cancer in recent scenes<\/a>, as his operation and treatment has coincided with he and wife Rainie (Tanya Franks) becoming parents to baby Roland thanks to surrogate Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris).<\/p>\n

As Stuart recuperated from surgery and attempted to avoid using pain relief due to his past addiction, he began to make excuses to avoid holding Roland<\/a>. So far, viewers may have been under the impression that this is down to the character\u2019s ongoing illness; but the soap has now revealed there is much more to Stuart\u2019s behaviour than that.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see Stuart struggling to connect with the baby, and he will eventually question whether he loves his son.<\/p>\n

EastEnders is working closely with the charities PANDAS and Mind to ensure that this mental health storyline is portrayed as sensitively and accurately as possible.<\/p>\n

Annie Belasco, Head of the Charity PANDAS, had this to say about the storyline. \u201cPANDAS Foundation were delighted to hear that EastEnders intended to produce a storyline highlighting postnatal depression in men. We enjoyed advising the team around the postnatal depression aspect of Stuart\u2019s journey which we feel will be relatable to many fathers struggling to bond with their baby.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Postnatal depression in fathers<\/span> is still a much undiscovered and stigmatised area,\u201d Belasco adds. \u201cWhich is why it is so imperative that awareness is shared in no doubt that men who may be feeling unwell with symptoms of postnatal depression can seek the support that they need at an early interventional stage. A full recovery of any low level perinatal mental illness, with the right support is possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Alex Bushill, Head of Media & PR at Mind, also spoke about the soap\u2019s decision to cover male postnatal depression. \u201cWhen people see mental health problems portrayed sensitively on screen, it raises awareness and encourages people to seek support for their mental health. So, it\u2019s great to see EastEnders dedicating airtime to exploring such an important issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n