Oxfordshire mother Linda Mace whose daughter Jodie had Down's Syndrome has praised the BBC for raising awareness of the condition in the soap opera EastEnders.

Mrs Mace said the storyline involving characters Billy Mitchell and his wife Honey, who struggle to cope after their baby daughter is born with Down's, would help educate viewers and break down stereotypes.

The storyline has come under fire from some midwives who claim it is inaccurate, but Mrs Mace thinks the soap could do for Down's what Big Brother winner Pete has done for Tourette Syndrome.

Jodie died last year at the age of four from a serious heart defect.

Her sister, 11-year-old singing sensation Zoe Mace, has been raising money for the Down's Syndrome Association.

Mrs Mace said: "These subjects are usually covered by documentaries and people see that and think 'I don't want to watch it'.

"Millions watch EastEnders. What a brilliant way educate to the British public.

"They are putting it in everyday life. This happens to people."

She added: "You think about Big Brother. It has done a huge amount for Tourette Syndrome. Pete, who won the show, was just a wonderful guy."

Mrs Mace, of Freeland, near Witney, said she had bonded immediately with Jodie. But she added many mothers felt the same way as Honey in EastEnders and struggled in the early days.

"I think it is an accurate portrayal," she said. "She is trying to come to terms with it and she's putting other people's feelings before her own."

Jane Hanson, secretary of parent support charity Down's Syndrome Oxford, also welcomed the storyline.

She added: "A lot of the things shown were quite true. It can never be a bad thing to raise awareness.."

But Sue Jacob, a teacher at the Royal College of Midwives, said the programme contained factual inacc- uracies.

A spokeswoman for the BBC said: "EastEnders has undertaken a great deal of research to script the storyline of Billy and Honey giving birth to their baby daughter. EastEnders takes enormous care with its research and takes advice from experts."