EastEnders fans were left shocked and confused as Nancy Carter made her sudden return to the BBC soap on Monday night and claimed to be pregnant with her brother's baby.
Nancy, played by Maddy Hill, was last seen on the show in 2022 but has now made a comeback alongside her brother Lee, played by Danny Hatchard. She returned to Albert Square seeking legal advice from brother Johnny but was rushed to hospital after doubling over in pain.
Shocking Revelation
In a reunion with mum Linda, Nancy said: "Mum, look, it’s complicated. I came to see Johnny, not you. This isn’t what you think it is, and I can’t deal with you right now."
Later on, Linda looked more than taken aback as Nancy, now joined by brother Lee, said: "You wanted to know about the dad," and Lee confirmed: "It's me," as the famous duff duffs rolled in.
Fan Reactions
Fans were quick to react to the bombshell news, and whilst many speculated that the twist will be that Nancy is simply acting as a surrogate for Lee and his partner, others were left confused as to how she could even be pregnant in the first place.
One fan wrote on Reddit: "Didn't Nancy get her tubes tied back in 2021/2022?" before another explained that, at the time, she was told she would have to wait a year and likely didn't go through with the procedure.
Another fan said: "Can someone explain how surrogacy would work in this case? Is it Lee’s sperm implanted into Nancy’s uterus? I’m sorry for the confusion, I just really don’t understand lol."
In response, another said: "Lee's sperm would have been injected into an egg to fertilise it. The egg would likely have been from Lee's partner, who I am assuming is still fertile in this scenario, but for whatever reason can't carry to term (alternatively, a donor egg from an egg bank could've been used). The resulting embryo would have then been implanted into Nancy's uterus. So the resulting child is genetically Lee's and whoever provided the egg (either his partner or another donor)."
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, another fan said: "He and his partner probably can’t have kids, and likely didn’t want to take the risk of asking some stranger so Nancy is now the surrogate. It’s basically the same as Emmerdale, where Charity had her granddaughter's baby."
Real-Life Pregnancy
In real life, Maddy, who is also known for appearing in Casualty, is expecting a baby herself but viewers weren't sure why it had to be written into the soap. One fan said: "I get that the actress is pregnant. [Producer] Ben Wadey could’ve found a better way to write in Nancy’s pregnancy. Or he could’ve hid her pregnancy like he did for the actress who played Priya."
Another said: "It is weird. I think the missing piece is if Lee has a girlfriend/wife and Nancy is carrying the baby for them. Nancy didn’t want to get pregnant or have kids due to her epilepsy. Yet, she’s going to become a surrogate for Lee?"
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
