Disa O'Brien

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EastEnders character
Disa O'Brien
Portrayed by	Jan Graveson
Duration	1990–1991
Marital status	Single
Occupation	Unemployed
Family	Jasmine, Sandra

Disa O'Brien was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She was played by Jan Graveson.

Disa was a tough seeming Wearside runaway, who helped Diane Butcher to survive when she lived rough on the streets.

[edit] History

Disa was first seen in March 1990. Diane Butcher had run away from home and was fending for herself living on the streets of London, where she befriended Disa, a fellow teenage runaway. Disa was working as a prostitute and tried to convince Diane to follow the same path with the hope that they could raise the funds to share a flat together. Diane couldn't bring herself to do this however, but took up nude modeling for an artist instead. Eventually Diane's father Frank tracked her down and brought her back to Walford, whilst a bedraggled Disa remained living on the streets, begging and selling sex.

Disa had fallen pregnant in 1990, and she was still living rough in London just before the birth of her child. On Christmas day that year she went into labour, alone in a derelict building near Walford, and gave birth to a little girl. Disa knew that a life living rough on the streets was no place for a new born baby, so that same day she decided to leave her baby in a cardboard box on the Butcher's doorstep, with the hope that Diane would take her in.

Diane and her boyfriend Mark Fowler searched the streets of London and eventually found Disa. They managed to bring Disa back to Albert Square (under protest) to live in Mo Butcher's empty flat, in the hope that she would become attached to the child, who was originally called Billie, but was later renamed Jasmine.

It was a rough ride for Disa, as she was severely lacking parenting skills. She also found it difficult to bond with her baby initially, but with the help of Diane and Mark she began to settle into life in the Square, and she soon grew to love her baby. Dot Cotton, who often attracted waifs and strays, looked after the child when Disa wouldn't or couldn't. On one occasion, she unwittingly let a stranger called Ken into the flat, who claimed to be Disa's uncle. However, Ken was actually Disa's step-father, and he was also the father of baby Jasmine. Whilst Disa was living with him and her mother, she had been the victim of his sexual abuse and rape, which had left her pregnant and driven her onto the streets. In an attempt to get Disa back within his power, Ken kidnapped Jasmine, leaving Disa frantic with worry. Fortunately, with the help of the police, Dot managed to trap him. Ken was then arrested and thankfully the baby was unharmed, but he was later bailed and came straight back to Walford to claim his baby, leaving Disa to go beserk at him with a carving knife. Fortunately for Ken the police arrived just in the nick of time, and this time he was jailed on remand.

Meanwhile, Disa had confided in Kathy Beale through the samaritans, and was helped to find the courage to tell her mother, Sandra, that Ken had forced both her and her younger sister to have sex with him, and that he was the father of her child. Sandra refused to believe her daughter's horrific tale at first, and she made Disa visit Ken in prison so she could see his response to the accusations. While she was there, a repulsed Disa confronted Ken about his sexual abuse, and his subsqequent reaction forced Sandra to recognize that she was telling the truth. Horrified, Sandra dumped Ken and told him never to darken her door again. She then took Disa and Jasmine back up north to live with her. Disa's last appearance was in February 1991.