Widdecombe: 'Show 'Enders plot after 9pm'

Ann Widdecombe has called for EastEnders' upcoming sex exploitation plot to be shown after the watershed.

The Strictly Come Dancing star and former government minister expressed concerns about children watching the storyline, in which Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) is manipulated by new boyfriend Rob (Jody Latham).

"The BBC need to think about how they handle this," she told The People: "I don't think something like this should be screened before 9pm. There are 11-year-olds up at this time. We shouldn't be encouraging children as young as 11 to watch stuff like this."

A spokeswoman for the soap said: "This is about Whitney being emotionally abused and groomed. It is different to prostitution. Whitney is initially not aware she is selling sex.

"In the long tradition the show has of tackling social issues, this is a storyline that looks to be exploring a growing problem that faces many young women in the UK."