EastEnders viewers believe a major villain could make a comeback to provide a secret miracle for Denise Fox, following the emotional scenes in Thursday's episode. Denise, portrayed by Diane Parish, has been battling leukaemia and received devastating news that her half-brother Darnell (Christopher Colquhoun) was not a close enough match to donate the stem cells she urgently required. Consequently, she would have to wait for a potential match through the stem cell register. Given her declining health, Denise was aware that finding a match was unlikely.
Denise considers stopping treatment
In scenes that resonated with many fans, Denise confided in her ex-partner Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) that she was thinking about ending her cancer treatment. She expressed uncertainty about continuing a life where she constantly felt exhausted and unable to take her son to his karate classes.
Fans theorise about a donor
Unwilling to see Denise give up, fans began speculating about who could emerge as a match. One suggestion pointed to her ex-husband Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet), currently in prison for murdering three people and previously holding Denise captive in his basement. A fan predicted: "Calling it now, Denise's blood donor match will be Lucas. Hence why her and Jack are having issues for her to storm out on NYD because Denise has let him back into their families lives by accepting his stem cell donation."
The fan also noted clues in the New Year's Day flashforward that hinted at the villain's return, referencing a moment when Denise's phone rang and was answered by her daughter Libby (Belinda Owusu): "Libby saying 'look who it is' when she and Patrick come in sounds ominous."
Flashforward clues and fan reactions
Another viewer agreed that the flashforward suggested Lucas might help, as his daughter with Denise, Chelsea (Zaraah Abrahams), was seen preparing for something. The fan wrote: "This is such an interesting theory! With all the returns happening in the Wadey era, I could see it happening. It would also make sense as to what Chelsea might be getting ready for, if Lucas' condition of helping out involves getting her to visit him, or to vouch for him at a parole hearing (however unrealistic a serial killer having a parole hearing might be)."
They added that this theory made more sense than the idea of Denise and her husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) arguing over her choice to stop treatment, explaining: "I think it makes more sense than Denise having chosen to die and that getting in between her and Jack, bc I think if that were the case, based on her health so far, she'd already be gone by NYD, but I could be wrong."
Lucas last appeared on EastEnders in 2024, when Denise visited him in prison for religious guidance. At that time, she was feeling guilty for hitting Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) with a champagne bottle and helping cover up the murder of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). After hearing her confession, Lucas became concerned for Denise and called Jack to warn him about her mental state.
