EastEnders spoilers follow for Monday’s episode (20 April), which is available to watch now on streaming service BBC iPlayer but hasn’t yet aired on TV.
Note: This article contains discussion of topics including self-harm.
EastEnders has aired the surprise return of a major character as Ravi Gulati’s mental health story takes another upsetting turn, following his months of struggles. As his mental state worsened recently, he lashed out at both Kat Moon and his partner Priya Nandra-Hart, when they each roused him from a disturbed sleep.
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Ravi is in a bad way in the morning of today’s episode and appears checked out as Avani and Nugget leave for school. In a distressing scene, Ravi waits until he is alone in the kitchen and self-harms again – but he has to call Priya for help when he causes a wound in his leg deeper than he intended.
Priya insists that they seek urgent treatment at the hospital, but Ravi is reluctant to be honest about how he got his injury. However, the doctor who arrives to treat Ravi is none other than Nina – his former stepmother and ex-girlfriend, with Hersha Verity reprising her role.
Nina was married to Ravi’s adoptive father Ranveer, but it was later revealed that she and Ravi were in a secret relationship, and the pair had a plan to kill him. Ravi killed Ranveer too early when he tried to assault Suki, and Nina helped him to cover up the crime.
However, while Suki was initially framed for Ranveer’s death, in the end, Ravi chose his family over Nina. She hasn’t been seen on screen since November 2022.
Ravi is blindsided when he comes face-to-face with Nina today, and Priya isn’t pleased to meet her for the first time. Ultimately, they are forced to admit to her that Ravi caused his leg injury himself.
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Nina checks Ravi over alone, and the pair have a frank chat. She asks whether it was Nish’s death that had affected him mentally. Nina urges him to take his therapy sessions seriously, before callously calling his current struggles karma for his past actions.
Priya and Ravi later return to the Square, and are horrified when Avani tells them that Nugget has run off after being teased about the video of him having a seizure.
Ravi desperately searches for Nugget, even suspecting that Harry and Kojo are behind his disappearance. He rages at his teenage son when he eventually manages to track him down.
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After forcing the whole family back into the flat, paranoid Ravi makes sure the door is locked and bolts it shut. Will he get the support he needs before it’s too late?
If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, organisations who can offer support include the NHS, Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393. Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
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.