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"EastEnders star Shona McGarty has spoken about her recent suspension. The actress - who plays Whitney Dean in the BBC soap - was suspended without pay in July for repeated lateness.   The 20-year-old returned to work three weeks ago, apologising for her unprofessional behaviour. She stated that she is aware of her &amp;quot;luck&amp;quot; in having a role in such a popular soap, and that she vows to improve her working life. &amp;quot;Being suspended made me realise how lucky I am to be in such a loved show \u2013 I&amp;#039;ve really learned my lesson,&amp;quot; she told the Daily Star. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m just going to stay in from now on instead of going out all the time and I&amp;#039;m going to try to be good. &amp;quot;I think I&amp;#039;ll buy a big alarm clock with bells on so I&amp;#039;m never late again.&amp;quot; McGarty said that her co-star Patsy Palmer helped her get through her time away from the soap. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s like a massive family at EastEnders and everyone supports each other. &amp;quot;Patsy is my biggest rock, she was really there for me and helped me through it.&amp;quot; The actress teased that her character Whitney will feature in some big plots in the near future. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s great being back because I&amp;#039;ve really enjoyed getting my teeth into some new storylines,&amp;quot; she said. &amp;quot;Whitney is a troubled character but she&amp;#039;s got some happiness and naughtiness coming up.&amp;quot; Former EastEnders star Barbara Windsor recently criticised the lateness culture on the soap. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/news/a406272/eastenders-shona-mcgarty-has-learnt-lesson-after-suspension/>