Luisa di Marco

Name: Luisa di Marco
First Appeared: 29th January 1998
Last Appeared: 26th November 1998
Played by: Stella Tanner

Luisa di Marco first appeared in Albert Square with her husband, Bruno, during the heart-wrenching funeral of their son, Giuseppe di Marco. Devastated by his death, Luisa and Bruno moved in with Giuseppe’s widow, Rosa di Marco, and her family. They were incredibly proud of their Italian ancestry, even though they knew little about their homeland, having been raised in London for most of their lives.

Luisa was a hands-on grandmother, always involved in the upbringing of her grandchildren. She was a traditionalist and disapproved when her grandson’s wife, Sandra di Marco, decided to go back to work instead of staying home to look after her son, Joe di Marco. Sandra eventually walked out, unable to handle the di Marcos’ constant interference, leaving Joe in Luisa’s capable hands.

The antics of her grandchildren often troubled Luisa, and when she caught her youngest granddaughter, Nicky di Marco, kissing Martin Fowler, it proved to be too much. The shock caused Luisa to suffer a stroke just before Bruno’s birthday in July 1998. Although she recovered, she remained frail. By December, Luisa and Bruno decided to take a trip to Italy to finally connect with their roots. Once there, they loved it so much they decided to stay, calling Rosa weeks later to say they weren’t coming back.

In a comedic twist the following year, Luisa sent over an Italian salami from Italy, which ended up giving several di Marcos a bout of food poisoning. Rosa initially blamed café worker Mick McFarlane for serving unsanitary food, leading to his sacking in May 1999.