EastEnders and Desmond’s actor Mona Hammond dies aged 91

Jamaican-British actor, who played Blossom Jackson in BBC soap, hailed as a pioneer' and trailblazer'

Mona Hammond, best known for playing the matriarch of the Jackson clan, Blossom Jackson, in the BBC soap EastEnders, has died aged 91.

A distinguished Jamaican-British stage actor of Chinese descent, Hammond has been hailed as a pioneer" and trailblazer" for her work on stage, screen, television and radio, and for her support for Black British actors.