Veteran actress June Whitfield appears as a nun in a first-look image from her new stint in EastEnders.

Preview pictures of the 89-year-old's scenes show her dressed in a wimple and comforting Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace), who goes to visit her at the convent.

In a cameo next week, Whitfield will play Sister Ruth, who a troubled Kat meets when she decides to face her past by taking a trip back to the convent where she gave birth as a teenager to daughter Zoe.

The pictures show Sister Ruth offering her a shoulder to cry on, and possibly something stronger from what looks like a hip flask.

Kat has been having a traumatic time in Walford of late, attempting suicide and hitting the bottle as she struggles with a request for her to testify against her uncle Harry, who raped her and left her pregnant with Zoe.

When Whitfield's casting was announced last month, she said: "I have watched EastEnders for years, and have been so impressed by the standard of acting. It was an absolute delight to work with Jessie Wallace and I am very excited to be part of the show."

The scenes are due to air on BBC1 next week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.