Shona McGarty

In 2018, McGarty joined 26 other celebrities and performed an original Christmas song called Rock With Rudolph. The song was recorded in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital and was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment on the 30th November 2018. The music video debuted exclusively with The Sun on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.

In January 2018, McGarty announced her engagement to long-term partner Ryan Harris.. Two years later, she revealed that they had ended their relationship.

McGarty was born in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. Before joining EastEnders, she had been involved in amateur musical theatre for six years with a group named Traffic Light Théâtre Productions. She later joined the drama school Young Stars, where she played the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland and Glinda the Good Witch in Wizard of Oz. In July 2012, McGarty was suspended from EastEnders by the acting executive producer Lorraine Newman "for repeatedly being late for filming"., something which she would later regard as "lazy and irresponsible".

McGarty performed the song "A Change is Gonna Come" on Children in Need 2012.

In 2009, McGarty was nominated for Best Newcomer at the British Soap Awards. A storyline involving McGarty as the main part was nominated for Best Single Episode as well as Best Storyline.

Shona Bernadette McGarty (born 14 October 1991) is an English actress and singer of Irish descent, best known for the role of Whitney Dean in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.