Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) faces a fresh ordeal in EastEnders as her baby secret becomes harder to hide. After discovering she is pregnant, Penny's life has been thrown into chaos, especially since she and Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) were only meant to be a casual New Year's fling.
Her pregnancy has caused clashes with her dad, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), and drawn vitriol from Vinny's mum, Suki Panesar-Unwin (Balvinder Sopal). Complications arose at her first scan when it turned out Penny was further along than she thought, meaning Vinny, who she had only slept with once, couldn't be the father. Instead, her best friend Gina Knight's (Francesca Henry) boyfriend, Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway), is the baby's father.
Nicola's Suspicion and Forged Results
Harry's mum, Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington), came close to discovering the truth when Harry told her he had previously slept with Penny, while lamenting that Gina had confessed she never wanted children. Nicola demanded Penny take a DNA test, but Penny's premature labour bought her time, allowing her cousin, Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier), to forge a set of results, which she handed to Nicola, throwing her off the scent for now.
Antenatal Class and Hospital Dash
This week, Penny is busy setting up her shop, which a smitten Vinny has helped make happen, though he worries she is focusing too much on the shop and not enough on the upcoming birth. To ease his concerns, Penny agrees to attend an antenatal class with Vinny, but they argue again later in the week. Penny banishes him from her shop opening before being rushed to hospital when she struggles to breathe.
Harry's Involvement and Guilt
Next week, Penny's conscience is pricked when she finally decides she is ready to accept Vinny's support and not handle everything alone. The only problem is that Vinny enlists Harry's help in his efforts, leaving Penny wracked with guilt as neither man knows the true paternity of the baby. The question remains: how long can Penny keep the secret buried, and what will the fallout be when it inevitably explodes?
