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Former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella teams up with soap to tackle hard-hitting knife crime storyline

She lost her brother to knife crime

Former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella has teamed up with the BBC One soap to help writers portray the realities of gang and knife crime, after her brother was stabbed to death.

Fame/Flynet
Brooke is helping the BBC soap with a hard-hitting storyline (Credit: Fame/Flynet)

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Teen characters Keegan Baker and Shakil Kazemi will be attacked by a gang, brandishing a blade in upcoming scenes.

The rest of Albert Square will struggle to deal with the aftermath of the shocking violence.

Brooke, who set up the Ben Kinsella Trust in 2008, said: “The pain will never go away. I commend EastEnders for choosing to portray the realities of knife crime. It destroys lives.

“This storyline will bring home how it damages lives of victims, offenders, their families and friends for ever.”

EastEnders boss John Yorke added: “The episodes are heartbreaking and dramatic.”

Ben was stabbed to death by a gang of three youths in June 2008 when he was just 16 years old.

His death was the 17th fatal stabbing in London that year.

Brooke and her family have campaigned tirelessly (Credit: WENN)

He was out celebrating the end of his GCSE exams in North London when his friend got involved in an altercation.

They were later followed home where Ben was viciously attacked, receiving 11 stab wounds.

He died from his injuries in hospital.

Brooke – who played Kelly Taylor in EastEnders from 2001-2204 – wrote a book and made a documentary about knife crime following his death and has relentlessly campaigned for tougher laws.

She’ll be helping writers make the shocking story as realistic as possible.

BBC
Brooke as Kelly in EastEnders (Credit: BBC)

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The scenes will air at the end of next month.

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