'I’ll never regret my Phil Mitchell tattoo' says Northern Ireland's biggest EastEnders fan

Meet Rachel Forsythe, the biggest EastEnders fan in Northern Ireland. The 20-year-old superfan from Craigavon became obsessed with one of its main characters Phil Mitchell five years ago - after watching classic episodes of the soap during lockdown.

Rachel was a casual watcher of the long-running soap from the age of nine - after being introduced to it by her mum, Sarah. But when the BBC uploaded the "iconic episodes" into iPlayer during the 2020 lockdown, Rachel and Sarah began tuning into them regularly.

The teen fell in love with Phil Mitchell as a character - and started spending all her money on merchandise with his face on it. Since then the personal trainer has even spent hundreds of pounds on Phil Mitchell merchandise including jumpers, candles, mugs, calendars and a car air freshener, alongside having his name permanently inked on her skin.

Rachel has been given a Phil Mitchell birthday cake every year since - and has kitted her room and car out in Phil products.

"It started as a joke, but now it’s an annual tradition to have his face on my cake. I have lots of Phil Mitchell merchandise all over my house as well," she added.

But in October 2022, Rachel decided to take her passion for him one step further. On a girls’ holiday in Magaluf, Rachel shocked her friends and family by getting a £50 tattoo of his name on her wrist.

Speaking to Belfast Live this week as EastEnders celebrates its 40th anniversary, Rachel said: "I always joked with my mum that I’d get a tattoo with his name. I thought she would be absolutely fuming as she kept saying ‘don’t you dare’ But I did it and she took it quite well and actually took a screenshot and posted it straight on Facebook."

Rachel still hopes to meet her hero some day despite knowing he’s “shy and timid in real life”: “He seems to be impossible to find and tends to keep a low profile in real life. He keeps out of the spotlight and keeps his family life private too."

This Wednesday, February 19 marks 40 years since the beloved soap first appeared on our TV screens. Like EastEnders fans across the UK, Ireland and beyond, Rachel will be glued to this week's episodes and dramatic storylines.

The much-awaited four-decade celebrations will see viewers treated to their regular dose of Albert Square drama in Walford, along with an extra hour-long episode and a special live broadcast. And Rachel's beloved Phil is at the centre of the action with his heartbreaking performances amid his ongoing depression storyline.

The past few months has seen the soap hardman battling depression, with his brother Grant Mitchell returning to the show after being called by Phil's old pal Nigel Bates. But with a deadly blaze set to rip through the Queen Vic on Wednesday night, Rachel is hoping it won't mean Phil's 35-year EastEnders residency could be coming to an end.

"Phil’s current storyline — where he is battling depression and contemplating taking his own life — is heartbreaking. Steve is such a good actor. He can be a gangster, an alcoholic or anything which just shows how good he is. He’s such an iconic character that the show just couldn’t do without," she said.

But perhaps most intriguing of all is the live vote that EastEnders producers have promised to happen during the 40th anniversary live episode. The vote will open at 8:30pm on Wednesday, February 19th and will close at 7:10pm on Thursday, February 20th and asks the question of who Denise Fox, played by Diane Parish, should choose to be with - her ex-husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) or new flame Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).

Rachel says she' still torn about who to vote for: "I still don't know. I feel that Ravi would make things a lot more interesting but everyone seems to be going for Jack. I'll definitely be voting anyway."

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