Danielle Jones (EastEnders)

Danielle Jones is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lauren Crace. The character appeared between 18 August 2008 and 3 April 2009. Crace's casting in the role was announced in July 2008, when she was described as a love interest for fellow new character Callum Monks (Elliott Jordan). In October 2008, it was revealed that Danielle was actually the long-lost daughter of established character Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Janus). Crace has disclosed that even she was unaware of this fact upon being cast in the role, but always knew Danielle would only have a short arc. Danielle's feelings were further explored in a segment of the BBC EastEnders homepage entitled Danielle's Diary, documenting the character's thoughts on the storylines she was involved in, while a special episode of EastEnders Revealed entitled "The Secret Mitchell" further explored the character's impact on the show.

Danielle played a small but pivotal role in multiple storylines on the show, which focused on her friendship with local resident Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), her crush on Callum Monks (Elliott Jordan), her adoption secret and seeking to find answers about her missing mother in Albert Square. She was deemed a welcome addition to the soap by members of Telford and Wrekin Council for raising awareness of the town (Telford) the character originates from; however, she was poorly received by The Guardian's Gareth McLean and Grace Dent, and dubbed "Drippy Danielle" by the Daily Mirror's Jane Simon. Her final episode was watched by 11.46 million viewers, and caused a notable power surge on the National Grid.

Creation and characterisation

Danielle was created as the long-lost daughter of established character Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Janus), and a member of the soap's long-running Mitchell family.