Former EastEnders star Shona McGarty has shown off a brand new look worlds away from her character Whitney Dean.

The actress, 33, has revealed her new curly long hair, eight months on from her last appearance on the BBC soap.

Shona can be seen sporting her new ‘do in a picture posted on Instagram to mark her appearance on Emily Dean’s Walking the Dog podcast.

The star posed for snaps with her chihuahua Cece, where she was seen sporting a head full of long, cherry-coloured curls.

Shona previously revealed how she’d got extensions after growing ‘bored’ with her shoulder-length bob she first had cut last summer.

In a video posted on Instagram last month, she was seen sat in the salon chair having them fitted.

‘Beautiful sweetheart x long hair really suits you xx,’ one fan commented.

Another said: ‘Absolutely stunning! Brings out your beautiful eyes!’

Shona left EastEnders back in May in emotional scenes, after 16 years in Walford.

Her character’s exit came after Whitney discovered that boyfriend Zack Hudson (James Farrar) had cheated on her with best friend Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).

Whitney left the Square with Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell) and new baby Dolly.

on the back of a bus, meaning there is scope for the character to return in future – something that Shona recently admitted she is keen for.

‘I would absolutely go back to EastEnders – it’s 16 years of creating a family, I grew up on that show,’ she told The Sun in November.

‘I’ve got a really good relationship with EastEnders, the doors open but at the moment not yet.’