EastEnders star Kellie Bright has laid bare the emotional and exhausting battle she faced to secure an education for her autistic son — a fight she says left her family “drained and maddened.”
The 49-year-old actress, known for playing Linda Carter in the BBC soap, revealed that her son — who also has ADHD and dyslexia — is one of 1.7 million children in England with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). In a new BBC Panorama documentary, she explores the “broken” system and how parents like her are pushed to their limits trying to secure proper support for their children.
Kellie shared, “It took months of perseverance and hard work from my husband and me to get the right education for him. At times, it felt like a battle.” The couple spent countless hours applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) — a process she described as “frustrating beyond words.”
The actress said the experience inspired her to make the Panorama film, where she meets other families struggling through the same process. One of them is Tunde, a single mum who moved from Scotland to London with her autistic son, Buddy. Since the move, Tunde has applied to at least 11 schools, all of which turned them away, citing a lack of space or the absence of an EHCP.
“I can’t do the parenting, get him to these appointments, and work at the same time,” Tunde confessed tearfully, explaining how she had to pause her career as a midwife. “We were all prepared for September… and he’s still not at school.”
Buddy now receives just 19 hours of lessons at the local library each week, far from the stable learning environment he needs.
Councillor Jacquie Russell described the current situation as “adversarial,” admitting, “Parents are tired and fed up of fighting. The system is broken. It’s not delivering the best outcomes for children.”
The government has acknowledged the crisis, with Minister for School Standards Georgia Gould confirming that reforms are underway. “We’re wanting to put more support in earlier,” she told Kellie. “And where people have fought for support, we want to make sure that continues.”
For Kellie, the message is clear: “No parent should have to fight this hard for their child to be seen, heard, and helped.”
