Sharon Confronts Zoe Over Lies
Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) will be in no mood for forgiveness when she sees Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) again. Having returned to sell her half of the Boxing Den, she wastes no time heading to The Vic to confront Zoe, who lied about Sharon's dead husband being the father of her children. Twins Jasmine (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) and Josh (Joshua Vaughn) come to their mother's defence. Zoe tries to apologise to Sharon, but she is having none of it.
Villain Joel Returns to Walford
Sharon's sister Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) returns from her honeymoon, only to find her stepson Joel Marshall (Max Murray) has turned up too. The villain, who previously left Vicki for dead after brutally attacking her, has come back with his mother Cleo, who does not want him around either. Vicki flees to the cafe, where Sharon comes to comfort her. Things worsen when Joel's other victim Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) and her friend Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) turn up to berate Vicki for allowing Joel back.
Mark's Feelings for Lauren Cause Drama
Meanwhile, Vicki's brother Mark Fowler (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) has been getting closer to Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) amid their dodgy cars deal. He has even confessed his feelings for her. But when he turns up to a family BBQ this week, Lauren panics. She panics again when she gets a call from Mark, begging her to meet him as one of their car deals had gone wrong. When she learns he had been lying to test her, she is furious.
Ian Beale Faces Trial Pressure
Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) is also facing a tough time. After his lawyer tells him to plead guilty, Ian seeks advice from his family. He also pleads with Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) to change her brutal statement about him, but her mother Denise (Diane Parish) has a few harsh words for him.
Denise's Cancer Battle Takes a Turn
Denise is welcomed home next week after spending time in hospital receiving treatment for her cancer. Unbeknownst to her family, Denise has been told that she did not respond to chemotherapy as her doctors had hoped and that she will need to try again. Struggling to keep the secret from her family, Denise heads back to hospital, where she receives devastating news that the friend she made in hospital has died. Things go from bad to worse when she returns to the Square to see her grandson Jordan (Jahsaiah Williams) playing with Sheila (Sheila Ruskin) — the grandmother of Jordan's serial killer father. She berates her family for allowing Sheila into their lives. When Sheila turns up again, Denise interrogates her on her motives. Amid this, Denise finally tells her husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) the truth about her treatment but forbids him from telling anyone else.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
