EastEnders' Kara Tointon loved Santa

13 December 2007 - Kara Tointon believed in Santa Claus until she was 14.

The 'EastEnders' star - who plays Dawn Swann in the BBC soap - has revealed her dad used to dress up as Santa and sneak into her room with presents to convince her he was real.

Kara told Britain's Closer magazine: "I believed in Santa until I was about 14, because the thought of it made me so happy.

"Once, I caught my dad putting up the stocking in my room so the next year he dressed as Santa to make sure he wasn't caught out again."

The 24-year-old actress is desperate for it to be a white Christmas, because she has happy memories of playing in the snow with her sister, 'Hollyoaks' star Hannah Tointon.

She said: "I wish for a white Christmas every year. My favourite Christmas was when Hannah was six and I was 10 and it snowed. We spent all day building snowmen and sledging down the hill at the end of our road."

Kara also confessed she is also a sucker for festive pop classics.

She admitted: "As soon as it gets to December I start playing songs like 'Merry Xmas Everybody' by Slade and 'Happy Christmas (War Is Over)' by John Lennon.

"They bring back memories of being young and innocent, when everything in life was easy."

(C) BANG Media International