Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that answer the question.
Query: Is Kathy Beale married?
Taylforth reprised the role for a charity special in 2014. In the episode broadcast on 19 February 2015, the character made a surprise return to the serial, despite being presumed dead. It was confirmed that the character would be making a permanent return, and after a guest appearance on 19 May 2015, Kathy returned on 17 August 2015. Taylforth was initially hesitant about her reintroduction storyline, which was inspired by the John Darwin disappearance. Kathy's husband, Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas), was also introduced following her return and their abusive marriage was explored. The character later had an affair with Buster Briggs (Karl Howman).
When Bobby pushes Jane down the stairs during a scuffle, Jane lies to Kathy that she tripped, but Bobby tells Kathy the truth. Kathy confesses her fears to Jane that Bobby may have anger management problems, and after Bobby later smashes a plate in anger, Jane tells Kathy that she is right. Bobby's feud with Sharon's son Dennis Rickman Jnr (Bleu Landau) escalates when Bobby kills Dennis' pet spider. Sharon tells Kathy he is evil and needs help, and Kathy then tells Sharon that Bobby pushed Jane down the stairs, so Sharon tells the Beales she will go to the police about Lucy's killing. Bobby finds out the truth from Dennis, who is later severely injured in a car crash. When the family discover that Phil has been rushed to hospital with a damaged liver, Sharon, Kathy and Phil's former girlfriend Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) go to the hospital only to find out that Phil discharged himself. They find Phil drunk at the pub, where he insults his family and hits Kathy.
Kathy returns to meet Ian's fiancée Melanie Healy (Tamzin Outhwaite) and has a fling with Grant. Just before she is due to return home to South Africa, Kathy asks Phil to leave with her. However, Grant has planned a robbery that same day and Phil cannot bring himself to let his brother do the job alone. Infuriated by Phil's loyalty to Grant, Kathy reveals their recent tryst, moments before she leaves. This results in a violent showdown between the brothers. Grant confesses that he only had sex with Kathy as revenge for Phil's affair with his wife Sharon. Phil responds by threatening to shoot Grant, devastated that he lost Ben and Kathy again. This leads to Grant crashing their car into the River Thames but both survive. When Kathy returns again for Ian's short-lived wedding to Melanie, after Ian lied to Melanie about his daughter Lucy Beale having cancer, and Melanie revealing she had a one night stand with Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), she is met with hostility from Phil's mother, Peggy (Barbara Windsor). Phil tries to persuade Kathy to reconcile one last time but they both agree their relationship is over and Kathy leaves Walford alone.
Kathy starts a relationship with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), opposed by Pauline until she figured out what sort of person Pete was and realised that Kathy was happy with Phil. Grant obtains a tape of a drunk Michelle and Sharon's recorded conversation about Sharon's affair with Phil, which Grant plays at Kathy and Phil's engagement party (see Sharongate). Kathy and Michelle's relationship becomes strained, but they soon make up. Michelle graduates from University with a B.A. and Kathy secretly marries Phil in early 1995.
Kathy accompanies Pam Coker (Lin Blakley) when she visits Diane Atmore (Hazel Ellerby) who is the mother of Simon Atmore (Tom Palmer), one of Paul's killers. Kathy and Pam try to persuade Diane to get Simon to plead guilty, which he eventually does. As a result, Simon and the rest of the killers are sentenced to thirty years in prison. Kathy is horrified when she hears about Ben wanting to donate some of his liver to Phil. She firmly tells him that she will not allow him to do so but Ben insists. Kathy accompanies Ben to his appointment to discuss the transplant. Kathy tries to support him but ends up embarrassing him when she mentions Paul's death and suggests that it is a reason for Ben wanting to donate. An angry Ben later tells Kathy to stay out of his life as she always has done. Kathy joins the Walford Players and clashes with the Christmas show's director, Geraldine Clough (Gwyneth Strong) over her plans initially to run a talent show, then to have a fairy godmother in her version of A Christmas Carol and finally for casting Kathy as a pantomime horse. Kathy's protests lead to Geraldine's resignation and Kathy becoming the director. Kathy is overjoyed when Ian decides to rename the café back to "Kathy's", which leads her to decide she no longer wants to be Kathy Sullivan, opting to change her name back to Kathy Beale by deed poll. Ben is hurt with Kathy's decision to change her surname to Beale (rather than his surname of Mitchell), feeling pushed out of the family, but she reassures him that it does not make him any less important to her than Ian. Babe Smith (Annette Badland) starts selling breakfasts at The Vic and attempts to steal trade from the café by putting rat droppings in the café's coffee machine, leaving Kathy furious when she finds out. Kathy reports Babe for breaking The Vic's license by selling alcohol outside of their licensed hours. This leads to Babe, Mick and Shirley being arrested and fined, which Kathy feels guilty about. Kathy suffers minor injuries when a car, driven by Michelle (now played by Jenna Russell), crashes a car into the chip shop. After Phil returns from Italy, he tells Kathy about an offer he has received on the car lot land and confides in her about the guilt he still has over the car lot fire. Phil gives Ben The Arches and Kathy lets slip to Ben about the value of the car lot land, which Phil hands over to Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick). Kathy insists to Phil that he justifies his reasons to Ben about the car lot land. Kathy returns from holiday and finds out from Kim Fox-Hubbard (Tameka Empson) about the gas explosion that left Jane severely injured and that Steven has died. Ian rejects Kathy's support. Ben tells Kathy that Ian may still have anger towards her for faking her death, despite accepting her. Kathy confides in Carmel Kazemi (Bonnie Langford) about her relationship with Ian and Carmel advises her to work at it. Kathy tells Ian and Ben that she feels that she has become irrelevant to them, but is determined to be their mum and apologises for not being there and Ian finally shows his emotions.
Kathy and Phil eventually sort out their differences, marry, and have a son, Ben (Matthew Silver), making Phil feel neglected and depressed so he turns to alcohol and develops an addiction. This makes him abusive and neglectful towards Kathy and Ben, so Kathy takes Ben and moves out. Realising what he has lost, Phil gives up alcohol and attends Alcoholics Anonymous, which helps reveal the basis of his problem – the physical abuse he received from his father when he was a boy, and his fear that he may abuse Ben. He and Kathy reconcile when he attends counselling until he begins an affair with fellow alcoholic Lorna Cartwright (Janet Dibley), who starts stalking him. With his marriage in jeopardy, Phil takes Kathy to Paris and admits his affair with Lorna so Kathy throws her wedding ring into the river. Phil begins sleeping rough, gambling, and blaming Kathy for his decline so she decides to leave Walford for South Africa, letting it be known that an offer of reconciliation from Phil would make her reconsider. Phil is undecided until Lorna stops him going after Kathy by locking herself in his bathroom and attempts suicide. He later follows Kathy to the airport but is stopped by Kathy's son, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), who persuades him that Kathy and Ben are better off without him. Phil agonises over the loss of his son.
The Watts family are also very strongly connected to the Beale family. Den grew up with Pete Beale and was his best friend since childhood. Angie was a best friends with both Pat Butcher and Kathy Beale, who were both married to Pete. Sharon was a former girlfriend of Ian Beale and they remain very close friends. Den was also the godfather of Bobby Beale, Ian's youngest son. Bobby also befriended Sharon's son Dennis Rickman Jnr, who was also close to Bobby's father, calling him 'Uncle Ian.' Den and Angie also were very close to Pauline and Arthur, Angie was the godmother of Martin Fowler (though relations between Pauline and Den turned sour after she found out that Den was the father of Vicki Fowler). Sharon is also best friends with Michelle Fowler and was also very close to Mark Fowler.
Ian and Bobby leave Walford whilst Max's trial happens. A heavily pregnant Lauren Branning returns to support Max and gives birth to Peter's son, Louie Beale. Jane gives Max a false alibi, however Max is found guilty. Max jumps the dock and goes on the run. He visits Jane to know why she lied for him and when Jane helps Max flee England, Max works out that Bobby killed Lucy. When Ian returns with Bobby, Ian can't cope and he writes a suicide note before disappearing. Jane frantically searches for Ian and finds him on a bridge prepared to jump. Jane talks him down and he sees Kathy. Ian realises Kathy is alive and whilst he takes the news well, Ben struggles to accept what Kathy has done. Kathy's husband Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas) is revealed to be Sharon's biological father.
Members of the Beale family currently in "EastEnders" include Ian, Martin, Bex, and Hope. Additionally, several others may be considered Beales through marriage; Kathy, Sonia and Stacey Fowler are among these. Louise Mitchell is the legal daughter of Mark Fowler and initially called Louise Fowler whilst Lily Fowler and Arthur Fowler have Mark's brother, Martin, their stepfather. Abi Branning is the daughter of Ian's stepson Steven Beale and Abi Branning.
In 2001, Kathy marries a friend of Ted's called Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas) in South Africa. Years later, Ian hears that Kathy and Gavin have been killed in a traffic collision. Ian travels to South Africa and returns with Ben; eventually Phil gains custody of Ben.
Author Christine Geraghty has described Kathy as a character that could "be trusted by the audience to divine what is right and to hold firmly to that position".[3] Described as a woman who naturally worked on behalf of the community, other characters frequently turned to Kathy for advice or support, and this was explored on-screen to greater effect in the 1980s when, as a result of the hardship she had faced in her youth, Kathy volunteered with the charity group The Samaritans.[4] It has been noted that "as a result of becoming a counsellor for The Samaritans Kathy Beale 'in turn [...] increasingly [came] to adopt the role of expert advisor".[5]
Kathy Beale (also Mitchell and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gillian Taylforth. Portrayed as "an attractive, bright, caring and highly moral woman", Kathy is one of the serial's original characters, appearing in the first episode of EastEnders on 19 February 1985. Taylforth was originally dismissed for the role of Kathy due to her young age, but was reconsidered when she impressed show bosses. Kathy remained in a prominent role throughout her original stint on the serial, featuring in high-profiled storylines involving her rape at the hands of James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde) and the discovery of a long-lost daughter, Donna Ludlow (Matilda Ziegler), following her rape as a teenager.
Phil and Kathy sort out their differences and get married in secret in early 1995. Kathy keeps fainting and refuses to see Harold Legg (Leonard Fenton), she relents and is told she is pregnant. Phil is overjoyed about becoming a father, as is Phil's mother, Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor). Kathy goes into labour with Pat helping her and Phil meets their son shortly after he is born. Kathy is opposed to Peggy's name suggestion of Eric and names him Ben. Kathy's niece, Sarah Hills (Daniela Denby-Ashe), and Sarah's boyfriend, Robbie Jackson (Dean Gaffney), look after Ben when he becomes ill and at hospital, he is diagnosed with meningitis. Phil's brother, Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), reveals that Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), the husband of Ben's childminder Ruth Fowler (Caroline Paterson) and Kathy's nephew, has AIDS. Despite Kathy panicking that the AIDS caused the meningitis, she is reassured the conditions are not linked. Kathy and Phil are told that Ben has been left partially deaf in one ear. Kathy is devoted to Ben; feeling neglected, Phil turns to alcohol. By the end of the year his drinking has developed into alcoholism and he becomes violent toward Kathy. After he snatches Ben and leaves him near a fire while he passes out drunk, Kathy leaves him. Realising what he has lost, Phil tries to stop drinking and rebuild his marriage. Kathy takes him back but when Phil attends counselling, he begins an affair with a fellow alcoholic, Lorna Cartwright (Janet Dibley), who starts stalking him and makes herself known to Kathy. Phil takes Kathy to Paris, hoping that it will bring them closer. However, Phil confesses to his affair with Lorna and Kathy responds by throwing her wedding ring into the Seine, stating their marriage is "the biggest mistake" of her life. Phil begins sleeping rough and blames Kathy for his decline. Despite momentarily contemplating suicide, Kathy hardens herself towards her husband's abuse.
In 2014, EastEnders made two specials for Children in Need; one being Grease-Enders and the more well known episode "The Ghosts of Ian Beale". The short followed Ian Beale in a coma like state exploring the Square and enchanting the women who had died from his past. Pat Butcher was in the Queen Vic, Kathy Beale was working at the Cafe, and Cindy Beale was cooking in the kitchen of Ian's house. It ended with him finally getting to say 'Goodbye' to his daughter Lucy Beale (part of the "Who Killed Lucy Beale" storyline, which was still being broadcast at the time of the special being aired)
Jane marries Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), after co-habiting for around two years. Brett described Jane as "the straight man to Ian's buffoon. She's the other half who makes him whole." Speaking on the character's relationship with her husband, she likened herself to his mother, Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), stating: "if Jane doesn't work out for Ian, no one will! Perhaps because Ian is finally married to his mother. Jane is very Kathy-esque. They'd have got on really well, though I can't imagine Kathy would've been too impressed with Jane's affair with Grant – despite the fact she got through a few Mitchells herself!" She stated that she hoped Jane and Ian's marriage would be a lasting one, commenting that so far: "it's panned out brilliantly. There are millions of marriages like this one, involving a strong woman behind an incredibly weak man. But it's Ian's flaws that make everyone love him so much. The only time a character becomes boring is when they're two dimensional, and that's something you could never say about Ian. I can't imagine being anyone else's missus!"
She later starts a knitting business. Mehmet Osman (Haluk Bilginer) asks Kathy to knit a batch of jumpers for him. Kathy finds out from Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih) that she was conned when Mehmet disappears with the jumpers and money.
Bridge Street is the location of the street market and shops including the café, launderette and mini-supermarket. The café is originally named Al's Cafe and owned by Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih) and Sue Osman (Sandy Ratcliff), where they also operate the taxi firm OzCabs. When Ali develops a gambling addiction, he is forced to sell the café to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), who manages it with his wife, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), until he sells the business to his mother, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth). Ian buys the café back following the birth of Kathy's son, Ben Mitchell (Matthew Silver), although loses the business when he becomes bankrupt years later. Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) buys the property and employs Laura Beale (Hannah Waterman), the estranged wife of Ian, to manage it. She renames the property to Laura's Café. Laura dies and Phil is falsely imprisoned so when Phil signs the café to his sister, Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf), she naïvely sells the business back to Ian. Ian manages the café with his wife Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) until they divorce and Jane wins the business in the divorce settlement. Jane sells the café to Phil and he lets his partner, Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), manage it. She names the property Shirley's Cafe. Phil sells the business to Ian, and he renames the café to Mandy's Café. When Ian has a nervous breakdown and leaves, his daughter Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) takes control of his businesses, calling the cafe Cindy's Café. Upon his return, Ian regains ownership of the café and when she returns to Walford, Jane manages it. A few years later, Kathy returns and when she begins managing the café, Ian renames it to Kathy's Café. A year later, Ian sells the property to Weyland & Co, a property development company, which upsets Kathy. Weeks later, Fi Browning (Lisa Faulkner), a business consultant for the company, gifts the café to Kathy after discovering that her father, James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde) raped Kathy.
Despite various obstacles, including objection from Kathy's son Ian (Adam Woodyatt), and the public unveiling of Phil's prior affair with his sister-in-law Sharon (Letitia Dean), Phil and Kathy married in 1995 and a baby was written into their narratives the following year; Kathy becoming a mother again for the third time at the age of 46.[17] The storyline was used to spread a public message, when Kathy's baby son Ben contracted a rare form of meningitis, leaving him with impaired hearing and the threat of brain damage. Kathy was shown to "irrationally" blame herself for her son's condition. In 1996, Gillian Taylforth summarised her character's fears: "[Ben]'s not been very well since he was born and Kathy hasn't wanted to leave him for a minute." Ian McKee, journalist for the Daily Record added that "Ben fell ill when his mum was out for the evening. Irrationally, Kathy blames herself - but she won't trust him with anyone else"[17] and according to Dr Richard Lansdown of London University's Institute of Child Health, "Such extreme anxiety is only natural [...] This constant checking is very, very common when children are seriously ill."[17] Kathy's concern for Ben was shown to have a negative effect on her relationship with Phil, leading into the start of the couple's most notable storyline, Phil's descent into alcoholism and the consequences the condition has upon the sufferer's domestic life.
Kathy comes face to face with James Wilmott-Brown again after 25 years and he her that he is dying. Kathy is unable to forgive him and forces him away from her. Ben and Ian both confront Wilmott-Brown for raping Kathy, which he continues to deny.
Also during the anniversary episode, Kathy Beale made a shock return when she met up with Phil Mitchell, despite the fact that she was believed to have died in 2006. It was shown that Phil had been providing Kathy with money, although he refused to help her any further.
Kathy returns a few days later and meets with Ben, who is furious to see her again after several years of believing she was dead. He angrily declares that her absence is to blame for the current state of his life, declaring that he is the reason Phil has left due to his homosexuality, but Kathy tells him that she and Phil knew that he was gay before he even started school, and that they have always loved him. Ian later decides to rebuild his relationship with his mother and allows Kathy to move into his house. Gavin meets Kathy in Walford and reveals that he has kidnapped Phil and threatens to kill him if she does not follow his instructions and give him money. Kathy and Ben reluctantly agree to give into Gavin's demands, but after trying to steal Ian's safe, Kathy decides not to do so. Ian later tells Kathy that her grandson Bobby Beale (Elliot Carrington) killed Lucy. Kathy, after seeing Ben drunk and angry at her, confesses to Ian that she is still on the run and she and Ben were planning to con him as Gavin has kidnapped Phil, so Ian throws her out, thinking she cares more about Phil than him. Jane is horrified that he told Kathy about Bobby, but Ian is confident she will not say anything to the police. Kathy then goes to the police station to report the kidnapping, while Ben tells Ian what Gavin has done. Ian contacts Gavin, telling him he knows what he has been doing. It is subsequently revealed that he has been keeping Phil locked in his closet, but by the time Kathy and the police come to his house looking for him, he is not there although a fresh blood stain is found in the kitchen. Kathy later tells the Beales what she has done, and Sharon is incensed when she finds out the truth, insisting none of it would have happened if Kathy had not returned. Phil returns home severely injured and Ian allows Kathy to move back into his house. Gavin later holds Kathy, Ben and Phil hostage in their house and when Sharon confronts him, he reveals himself as her father before fleeing. Kathy is given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to fraud.
The Third Doctor and Mel Bush appear from the time jump, and question an old Pauline Fowler and Kathy Beale on when they are. When Pauline and Kathy reply that it is 2013, another time jump occurs. In 1973, Pauline and Kathy remember the assassination of President Kennedy, while Kathy tells off a young Ian Beale. The Sixth Doctor and Susan Foreman appear, but Susan wonders what has happened to 'her' Doctor, the First.
In 1993, Phil married Nadia Borovac (Anna Barkan) in 1993 so she could stay in the country, but started a relationship with Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) alongside the fake marriage. In order to marry her, he divorced Nadia, and Phil and Kathy marry in 1995. Their son, Ben, was born in 1996, however, he contracted meningitis, which left him partially deaf. Whilst in France, Phil confessed to Kathy that he'd been having an affair with Lorna Cartwright (Janet Dibley). Phil and Kathy divorced in 1999. Kathy emigrated to South Africa with Ben in 1998.
Kathy Beale (also Mitchell and Sullivan),[27] played by Gillian Taylforth between 1985 and 2000, and then from 2015 onwards, is the mother of Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Though it was never used on screen, in 2010 the BBC website named the character as Kathy Sullivan due to a marriage after she left the show in 2000.[28] Kathy Beale is one of the serial's original characters, appearing in the first episode of EastEnders on 19 February 1985. One of the longest-running original characters, Kathy remains in a prominent role, covering issues such as rape and domestic violence until April 1998, when Taylforth quit. A year later, in 1999, Taylforth returned for a temporary stint to aid the departure of actor Ross Kemp who played her brother-in-law Grant Mitchell, and later in December 1999 for the wedding of her screen son Ian. She made her final appearance in January 2000. Despite various rumours of a possible return for Kathy in the press, this did not occur and the character was supposedly killed off-screen in a road accident in late February 2006 in a storyline to facilitate the return of her son Ben to his father Phil (Steve McFadden). In tribute to the character, the soap's café is named "Kathy's".[29] Kathy returned for the 30th anniversary episode in February 2015, when it was revealed that Kathy never died in a surprise showdown with her ex-husband, Phil.
Pete and Kathy's marriage broke down following her rape by James Wilmott-Brown. Also, Kathy's illegitimate daughter Donna Ludlow turned up to find her mother, but Kathy rejected her and she later died of a heroin overdose. Lou Beale died of angina in July 1988, and Pete broke down at her funeral. Wilmott-Brown convinced Kathy to drop charges, and Pete drunkenly went after him in a stolen car, only to be stopped by the police. He was convicted of drink-driving and received a driving ban.