EastEnders fans are convinced that Grace Larson will be Denise Fox's stem cell match, after her half-brother Darnell was ruled out as a donor. The BBC One soap has seen Denise (Diane Parish) receive various treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia after her diagnosis earlier this year, with much of her hope now resting on getting a stem cell donor.
The search for a donor revealed that Denise had a paternal half-brother she had never met, Darnell Larson Jr. (Christopher Colquhoun), whom she has now met, along with his daughter, Grace (Krysstina Frempong). Initially scared to take part in testing due to his wife having died as part of the NHS's historical infected blood scandal, persuasion from Grace saw Darnell agree to get tested. But bad news soon followed, leaving Denise heartbroken.
Darnell not a match
Denise and her spouse, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), received a visit from Darnell, who was sad to reveal that the tests showed he was not a close enough match. The news left Denise shattered and trying to wrap her head around a further round of chemotherapy, which so far hasn't been as successful as desired.
Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) accidentally caught wind of Denise's latest update and was upset that she hadn't been informed that Darnell is not a match for her stepmother, and a showdown quickly ensued.
"You don't need to know, I'm at the end of my rope, alright", Denise told Amy. "I can't even walk down the high street, and right here, right now, today I've had it. I've run out of hope, I can't taste anything, I can't sleep, everything hurts, and all there is is another round of chemo, and another round of chemo, and does it look like it's making me any better?"
Denise added: "There is no match Amy," as she started crying, "It ain't my choice that is the truth, and I ain't got the strength to deal with how that is making everyone else feel."
Phil's visit and collapse
Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) later paid a visit to Denise, the mother of their young son, Raymond. He encouraged her to do what was right for her but also to seek treatment, wondering if his late mother Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) persisting might have bought her more time with her family. However, there were more worrying scenes as Denise later collapsed in the street and was rushed to the hospital by Jack.
As Denise's future hangs in the balance, EastEnders viewers are certain Grace Larson will save Denise's life and be a stem cell match. Grace is the 16-year-old daughter of Darnell, making Denise her half-auntie. Yet fans noted she needs to turn 17 before she can agree to help. According to the NHS, a person must be aged between 17 and 40 to join the stem cell registry.
Fans predict Grace as donor
Taking to Reddit, one EastEnders viewer asked: "Who do you think will be Denise's donor match?", before adding: "Going by how predictable EastEnders is at times, I'm thinking it's Grace, Darnell's daughter. To go to the trouble of introducing him and his daughter & then implying he could be a match but to fail at the first step, it seems most likely to me."
A second suggested: "I think it will be Grace because they've mentioned a couple of times that she's 16 i.e. too young to donate while all the Darnell stuff was happening, but imminently becoming 17, the exact minimum age for a donor according to what was said on the show."
A third chimed in: "This. Grace easily or Darnell lied", while another predicted: "Think it will be the brothers daughter."
"Either Grace or Denise's bio dad. But I'm leaning towards Grace. They'll have to wait until she turns 17, though," pointed out another. EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer.
