EastEnders’ Penny Branning has been hiding the truth about her unborn baby’s paternity for months. She believes her future lies with Vinny Panesar, but cracks begin to show in their relationship next week. Vinny, feeling pushed out, takes action to commit to Penny, unaware of the agony that lies ahead.
Penny’s Secret Paternity Revealed
Earlier this year, Penny was shocked to learn her pregnancy was further along than she thought, ruling Vinny out as the father. It later emerged that Penny had a secret fling with former flame Harry Mitchell before Christmas. With Harry now dating her best mate Gina Knight, and Vinny being a reliable partner, Penny decided to keep the secret.
Nicola’s Ultimatum and Fake DNA Test
Harry’s mother, Nicola Mitchell, worked out the truth and gave Penny an ultimatum: take a DNA test or she would tell everyone. Panicked, Penny got her cousin Oscar Branning to fake a test result, which somehow convinced Nicola. Since then, Penny’s pregnancy has been going smoothly, but next week Vinny starts to feel sidelined.
Vinny’s Commitment
After attending a birth-plan appointment, a sidelined Vinny decides to talk to Penny about his feelings. During the conversation, he declares his commitment to Penny and their unborn child by asking her to move in with him. Penny agrees, which excites Vinny, but she secretly worries about telling Gina she will be moving out.
However, that should be far from her biggest concern, as the baby bombshell she is hiding is bound to explode. This is Walford after all.
EastEnders airs these scenes from Monday 15th June at 7.30pm on BBC One or stream first from 6am on iPlayer.
