AJ Branning becomes a focal point in EastEnders this week as tension escalates between ex-couple Max Branning (Jake Wood) and Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins). Cindy has been on a revenge mission since Max dumped her hours after their wedding, admitting he wasn’t in love with her. She later discovered he had cheated with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan-Levy) and is now secretly seeing someone else.
Amid their feud, both have referenced AJ, with mentions increasing after it emerges that Max is selling a property in New Zealand to raise money for No. 31. The news upsets Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), who reveals her mum Tanya (Jo Joyner) is struggling financially to care for AJ. Max had previously told Tanya he couldn’t afford to help with AJ’s childcare, so Lauren is unhappy to learn he has potential cash available.
AJ's Family Connection to Max and Cindy
AJ, formerly known as Abi Jr, is the daughter of Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) and Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell). This makes her the granddaughter of both Max – who was Abi’s dad – and Cindy, whose son Steven died in a fire at the restaurant in 2017.
Steven arrived in the Square in 2016 in a relationship with Lauren, but later had an affair with Abi, which led to her pregnancy. Steven perished in the restaurant fire, with Max largely blamed for his death.
AJ's Tragic Early Life
Months later, Abi left with Lauren and her son Louie on Christmas Day, but they found Max, struggling with his mental health, on the roof of the Queen Vic. Tragedy struck as Abi and Lauren fell from the roof. Lauren survived, but Abi died after giving birth prematurely to a baby girl.
Devastated, Max vowed to care for the newborn, naming her Abi Jr in her mother’s honour. In 2018, he married Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks), who raised baby Abi. Max left the Square in 2021, leaving Abi with Rainie.
AJ's Recent Storyline Developments
Jack (Scott Maslen) later took Abi to visit Max in France, where Max kidnapped the child – a reason Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) was wary about telling him about Annie. In 2025, Abi Jr was renamed AJ and was thought to be living with grandmother Tanya, which Lauren’s comments this week support. Although Cindy is also AJ’s grandmother, she has never met the eight-year-old, as Max confirmed earlier this week.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One, or streams from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
