Ruth Fowler
| Ruth Fowler | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Caroline Paterson | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1994–1999 | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1006 28 July 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 1736 11 February 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Barbara Emile | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Ruth Fowler (also Aitken) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Caroline Paterson from 1994 to 1999. Ruth was Mark Fowler (Todd Carty)'s ex-wife and she is far more comfortable with his HIV status than many of his other girlfriends. However, their marriage eventually disintegrates due to Mark's habit of shutting her out and his inability to give Ruth a child. They split and she strays with Mark's cousin, Conor Flaherty (Seán Gleeson). Her betrayal deeply hurts Mark but it also gives her the chance to be a mother as she becomes pregnant with Conor's child.