EastEnders fans were left shocked and horrified as tragedy struck at the end of Monday night's episode, with Chelsea Fox's four-year-old son Jordan seemingly left for dead after being run over.
Dramatic Wedding Day Unfolds
This week's run of the BBC soap follows a slightly different format, billed as The Night That Changes Everything, exploring the same day from various points of view of Walford residents. Everything centres around the wedding of Vicki Fowler and Ross Marshall, already intense due to the bride's affair with the best man.
Completely unaware that her mother Denise had been diagnosed with cancer, Chelsea was already struggling when her son Jordan, whom she shares with imprisoned criminal Gray Atkins, began acting up at the wedding.
Confrontation and Tragedy
Distracted after Mark and Zack started fighting over her, Chelsea dragged best man Zack outside to calm the situation. She and Mark were about to kiss when Jordan raced onto the scene, infuriating Chelsea because she thought he was being looked after by Josh.
She told him: "You need to go inside please." When he asked to go home, she snapped: "Stop whining, you are driving me mad. Go away, go on!" Shortly after, Ian Beale was reversing his car but was distracted when his mother Kathy fiddled with the radio. He hit something, assumed it was a wheelie bin, and drove off.
Just before the credits rolled, viewers saw Jordan lying lifeless on the ground. Fans rushed to share their reactions, many blaming Chelsea for her harsh words and predicting she would shift blame onto others.
Fan Outrage on Social Media
One viewer wrote on X: "Chelsea was so horrible to him all because he was getting in the way of her life…." Another said: "But if Jordan dies? I am going to riot plus Ian shouldn't have had even a sip if he was driving." A third commented: "Did EastEnders just kill off a child?"
A fourth added: "I usually love Chelsea but the way she treated Jordan today was vile! She literally neglected him and chose to have a good time as opposed to looking out for her son. Now Josh is going to get the blame when Jordan is Chelsea's responsibility in the first place. #EastEnders"
Another raged: "It was Chelsea's fault what happened to Jordan tbh. If she actually bothered to spend 5 minutes with him rather than preferring to get drunk and try to get off with Zack and actually shouting at Jordan and telling him to go away was awful!"
Whatever happens with Jordan now, social services will be all over this. Chelsea should have asked Josh to take Jordan home. Why was he at the wedding reception in the first place when he is too young?
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
