Penny Branning's wellbeing and that of her unborn child become a major concern in EastEnders next week when she is rushed to hospital after a frightening incident.
Penny, played by Kitty Castledine, has been preparing for a new chapter with boyfriend Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) as they expect a baby. She is also eager to get her shop up and running, but Vinny worries she is taking on too much and wants her to focus on the pregnancy.
Conflict and a fall
Vinny is upset when Penny seems consumed with shop preparations, but she later agrees to attend an antenatal class. However, their conflict continues into the next week. On the day of the shop opening, Vinny notices Penny's swollen leg and urges her to see a doctor, but she tells him to stop fussing and orders him to leave.
Later, Penny falls out of her wheelchair and is found by Suki Panesar-Unwin (Balvinder Sopal), who advises her to stop being so proud and let Vinny help. Taking this on board, Penny heads to the shop for its grand opening, but on the way she struggles to breathe.
Rushed to hospital
Max Branning (Jake Wood) and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) spot Penny's distress and quickly rush her to the hospital, leaving viewers to wonder if both Penny and the baby will be okay.
It has been a challenging few months for Penny, who is unsure who the father of her baby is. While she has been dating Vinny, she recently revealed she had a brief fling with ex Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) before Christmas. With her best friend Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) now in a relationship with Harry, Penny has kept quiet about the possibility that Harry could be the father to avoid breaking Gina's and Vinny's hearts.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or streams from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
