EastEnders spoilers follow.

EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa has hinted that her character Lauren Branning won’t be happy over her dad’s dramatic return to Walford. At least at first…

Life for the Brannings will be shaken up yet again later this year as Jake Wood reprises his role as Max on a permanent basis.

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Max reappeared in this week’s episodes and show bosses are promising plenty more excitement when he makes his full-time comeback.

Speaking to us at an EastEnders press event this week, Jacqueline was asked whether Lauren will welcome her father’s return.

lauren branning, eastenders

BBC

Related: EastEnders boss confirms Max’s secret child drama after Walford return

She quipped: “Interesting – not as much as Jacqueline would!

“But it’s a weird one, because her dad’s her dad. She knows him very, very, very well – maybe a little bit more than Oscar does as well. So I think there’s layers to this.

“Deep, deep, deep down, she always wants to be her dad’s little girl. There is still that there always, no matter what.”

Jacqueline revealed that things are far less complicated off camera, as she’s delighted to have Jake back among the EastEnders cast.

oscar beale, lauren branning, max branning, jack branning, eastenders

BBC

Related: EastEnders boss reveals what happens next after Zoe and Max’s big twist

“I had been hoping that the day would come for a very, very, very long time,” she continued. “Then all of a sudden, I really didn’t want to know, because you just feel it in your bones that it might actually be happening.

“Then I just fully panicked: ‘Actually tell me nothing, I don’t want to know anything, because I’ll accidentally say it! I don’t want to ruin one of the biggest returns ever!’

“So I was just more just excited to read it in the script. When I read it in the script, I thought: ‘Yeah, it’s very exciting’.”

jake wood as max branning, eastenders

BBC

Related: EastEnders rules out major Zoe fan theory with unexpected new clue

Asked how it felt to reunite with Jake again, she replied: “Well, I realised that Jake hadn’t been back for five years, but then I had left two years prior, so actually it was seven years on screen that we hadn’t worked with each other.

“So it added to the excitement, but without giving too much away, it was also like no time had passed. He’s just typical Max, what can you do?”

EastEnders continues on Monday (8 September) as Zoe Slater’s story continues following the recent revelations over her secret connection to Max.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage

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