Etta Tavernier

Infobox EastEnders character 2


character_name=Etta Tavernier
actor_name=Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence
years=1990–1992, 1994
first=5 July 1990
last=3 March 1994
status= Married
home= Norwich
occupation= Teacher
husband=Celestine Tavernier
sons=Clyde Tavernier
Lloyd Tavernier
daughters=Hattie Tavernier
grandsons=Kofi Tavernier

Etta Tavernier was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders". She was played by Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence.

Teaching was Etta's true vocation in life, but her husband felt threatened and undermined by her successful career. She was a strict Christian, but she went against the teachings of the church when she aborted her unborn baby in 1991, which nearly caused the breakdown of her marriage.

Fictional character biography

Etta married Celestine and gave birth to her eldest son in Jamaica, then immediately came to England to join her husband in 1968. It was a time when most West-Indians were expected to work on the buses or in hospitals and not to be too ambitious. It was a struggle at first, but Celestine managed to climb the career ladder, and Etta decided to train for a job that she knew she could do well - teaching.

Etta arrived in Walford in July 1990 with the rest of the Tavernier family: husband Celestine; daughter Hattie; sons Lloyd and Clyde and father-in-law Jules. She and her family had been rehoused to Albert Square after Etta acquired a new job teaching at Walford Primary School.

Etta was a devout Christian and a dedicated mother, but the one big love of her life was teaching, so she was thrilled when she got promoted to 'acting head' at Walford primary early in 1991. However, her partriarchal husband blighted what should have been a happy time for Etta by continuously rowing with her about her new job. Celestine, was unhappy with Etta's promotion as he felt threatened by her higher status and higher earning power and unfairly believed that she had deliberately set out to undermine his status as the 'head of the household'. The rift between them nearly drove Celestine into the arms of another woman, but he resisted temptation in the end.

Etta faced more marital turmoil later that year after a pregnancy scare led her to go against her husband's wishes. Etta's youngest son Lloyd had sickle-cell anaemia, and as the disease was hereditary Etta felt responsible for her son's degenerative condition. She feared that any subsequent children would also be affected with the debilitating disease and after a pregnancy scare she decided that she should undergo Sterilization in order to prohibit the gene from passing to any future children. However, Celestine, a pompous pillar of self-righteousness, objected to the plan and accused Etta of going against their religion. Etta was torn between her moral obligations and her religious obligations, but she eventually chose to go ahead with the sterilisation, only to be told by the physician that she was pregnant after all. Subsequent DNA tests confirmed that her unborn child was carrying a double dose of the sickle-cell gene. Etta wrestled with her conscience, but eventually decided that the only option was to have an abortion. Despite his initial protests, Celestine was forced to reappraise his priorities and eventually agreed to the termination, albeit unwillingly. It was a truamatic time and the couple nearly split as a result, but they managed to surmount their differences and eventually emerged from it stronger and closer.

In 1992 Etta secured herself a further promotion as permanent head-teacher at Walford primary school and this time Celestine celebrated her success with her. However, later that year Celestine was offered a significant promotion in Norwich. Etta was unwilling to move but after Llyod got himself into trouble with the police for joy-riding, she decided that a fresh start for the family might be best. She, Celestine and Llyod left the square in June of that year, whilst her daughter and eldest son remained living in the square with their grandfather Jules.

Etta returned briefly in March of 1994 to stop Steve Elliot (Hattie's ex-boyfriend) from attempting to contact her daughter and to try and persuade her father-in-law, Jules, to come and live with them following his mugging. She then left.

External links

*EEcharlink|etta_t