EASTENDERS fans have been left stunned by noticing a secret Christmas trend of Dot Cotton.

The eagle-eyed among soap fans have been left in shock after realising that the famous Walford icon had kept up a habit for 32 years without

many ever knowing about it.

Dot, played by the late June Brown, is arguably one of EastEnders’ most famous characters but did you know that she wore the same outfit every single Christmas Day since 1988.

Each time Dot appeared on the show at Christmas between 1988 and her final festive appearance in 2020, she made sure to wrap up in the very same dress to celebrate the holiday period with her friends and family.

Her iconic look was a red patterned-dress which featured a collar and she often chose to wear it underneath a scarf, coat or jacket of some sort.

More often than not, she chose to wear a light-yellow cardigan atop the outfit with it regularly accompanying her on her festive outings.

Whilst soap characters often have their signature looks and re-wear the same clothes from time-to-time, it is fair to say that it is pretty rare for one character to hold onto a piece of clothing for over thirty years.

Moreover, Dot only wore the dress for the extra special Christmas festivites.

The decision-making process as to why the dress was worn at Christmas each year is currently unknown however it is clear that Dot would not have stepped foot on Albert Square each winter without donning it for all to see.

It is unsurprising that Dot opted to wear her special dress every year with June famously aiming to portray Dot as close to a real-life East End woman as possible.

Over the years, Dot played a central part to Christmas storylines and was never far away from the Queen Vic catching up with pals or back at home prepping dinner for the Cotton-cum-Branning clan.

Her most famous Christmas storyline however took place on Christmas Eve as opposed to Christmas Day.

In 2002, Dot’s soon-to-be husband Jim Branning proposed to her aboard the London Eye on Christmas Eve.

In 2016, as Christmas rolled around once more, Dot wasted no time in whipping on her annual frock for an innuendo-laced episode that had all the viewers laughing.

The episode featured classic EastEnders comedy gold thanks to Dot’s new best friend: a black pussycat.

One classic line came from Billy Mitchell’s wife Honey, who warned her daughter: “Lily please don’t touch Dot’s pussy, you don’t know where it’s been.”

Another came from Dot herself, saying to the cat, which she named Ethel after her best friend: “Don’t go licking yourself in front of the Queen.”

In 2008, Dot also donned the dress as she met her granddaughter Dotty for the very first time.

Her son Nick brought his little girl along for the Christmas holidays in 2008 as he made a grand return to the soap after seven years away.