[Callum]

IN one of the most controversial storylines in soap history, newcomer Tony is exposed as a sick paedophile who is sleeping with 15-year-old Whitney!
Twisted Tony only ever dated Bianca so he could get close to her young stepdaughter and ‘groom’ her to have sex with him.

After several years of being brainwashed by Tony, schoolgirl Whitney is besotted with him. She believes he also loves her and they’ll run off together. But seedy Tony is planning to dump her, once she turns 16.

Meanwhile, poor Bianca is clueless and is hoping to marry her evil boyfriend!

“Tony isn’t wired right,” says Chris Coghill, who plays the sicko in the soap’s first ever grooming plotline. “He is manipulative and calculating, and has been grooming Whitney ever since he met Bianca.”

The shocking truth about Tony and Whitney continues to emerge at the start of the week as Tiffany nearly catches them kissing.

The pair have another close shave when Tony gets a text from Whitney saying she loves him – while Bianca’s in the room.

It’s soon clear how great Tony’s hold on Whitney is after she wins the lead role in her school play. He moans that her rehearsals will stop them spending time together, then tells her how much he’s in love with her.

Desperate to please him, Whitney makes an excuse to stay home instead of going out with Bianca, and she and Tony sleep together!

Later in the week, Tony tightens his grip on Whitney by promising that they will soon be together properly.

“But by the time she is 16, I think Whitney will already be reaching her sell-by date for Tony,” adds Chris. “EastEnders has a history of tackling tough subjects, and I hope this storyline helps viewers understand more about this serious problem.”