Audrey Trueman

Name: Audrey Trueman
First Appeared: 14th November 2000
Last Appeared: 6th September 2001
Played by: Corinne Skinner-Carter

Audrey Trueman made quite the entrance when she moved to Walford in 2000, taking over the Bed and Breakfast. Living with her son, Dr. Anthony Trueman, she quickly became known as a devout and rather meddlesome mother. Her other son, Paul Trueman, didn’t get the same level of attention, which led to plenty of family drama. Audrey’s disapproval of Anthony’s relationship with Kat Slater only added fuel to the fire, as she tried to meddle in their romance, prompting Anthony to rebel.

The reason behind Audrey’s cold shoulder towards Paul was a dark family secret. Years earlier, Paul and Anthony had been in a car crash that left a young girl crippled. Anthony had been driving drunk, but it was Paul who took the blame and ended up in prison. Audrey, unaware of the truth, continued to ignore Paul’s attempts to gain her affection. In September 2001, Audrey suffered a blow to the head from falling debris. A few days later, during a heated argument with Paul, he revealed that Anthony was the actual driver in the crash. The shock caused Audrey to collapse from a severe headache, a delayed reaction to her earlier injury.

In her final moments, Audrey confessed to Paul that she knew Anthony had been driving and asked him to tell Anthony that she loved him. When Paul asked, “What about me?” she started to respond but tragically died before she could finish. In a twist, Audrey left everything to Paul in her will. Her ex-husband, Patrick Trueman, showed up for the funeral, revealing that he and Audrey had married in a shotgun wedding after she became pregnant with Paul. Patrick left shortly after Anthony’s birth in the early 1970s.

The family’s secrets didn’t stop there. The Truemans later discovered that Paul was not actually Patrick’s son but the biological child of Milton Hibbert, Patrick’s friend with whom Audrey had an affair. Audrey’s life in Walford was marked by her strong-willed personality, complex family dynamics, and dramatic confrontations, making her a memorable character in the EastEnders saga.