EastEnders fans were delighted to see Chelsea Fox back on screen – but were left feeling cold as her scenes played out on Monday night’s episode and flocked to social media to vent
EastEnders fans were delighted to see Chelsea Fox back on screen – but were left feeling cold as her scenes played out on Monday night’s episode(Image: BBC)
EastEnders fans were delighted to see Chelsea Fox back on screen – but were left feeling cold as her scenes played out on Monday night’s episode. Zaraah Abrahams took over the part of Chelsea for the character’s return in 2020 after a decade-long break and has been a regular ever since, but viewers had recently complained that she had been seen just a handful of times this year.
The Walford resident has been seen a few times in recent weeks, and in the latest instalment of the BBC soap, she was seen getting ready for her third date with a man who turned out to be married. Damon had agreed to meet her at the Queen Vic for the pub’s quiz night but Vicki Fowler quickly noticed he had tried to order a much stronger drink for Chelsea than what she had asked for. Then everything truly kicked off when Vicki overheard him on the phone to his wife.
Sidling up to Damon at the bar, she said: “Why did I expect anything else? Chelsea? Do you know this guy is married? I’ve just heard him, brazen as anything, on the phone to his Mrs. I’m surprised you even took your wedding ring off, mate!”
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Vicki Fowler discovered the man was married and decided to call him out for his behaviour(Image: BBC)
But Chelsea replied: “Leave it. I know he’s married. It’s not a big deal, we’re having a few drinks.” Exasperated, Vicki shot back: “Are you for real?! What does your wife think of this, is she in on the arrangement? No of course not. She’s at home, putting your kids to bed, washing your stinking underpants. I am sick of everyone turning a blind eye to pigs like him!” Damon left the pub and Chelsea was less than impressed with Vicki’s outburst.
Later on, Vicki spotted Damon coming into the kebab shop. He said to her: “Frumpy old housewife like you. You’re not even worth a spiking, see you around!” Undeterred, Vicki followed him into the launderette. “Not even worth a spiking? What kind of sick mind comes up with that?” Damon then accused her of becoming a feminist since men had clearly ‘lost interest’ in her. He raged: “I’m sick of women like you, going on about men like we are the problem and all you need is a proper man to take you home and show you a good time.” Upon hearing this, Vicki truly saw red and threw him at a washing machine. She watched in shock as he fell and hit his head.
The dramatic cliff-hanger impressed some viewers, but fans were left wondering what possessed Chelsea to go on a date with a married man in the first place. One wrote on X: “Just watched tonight’s #EastEnders! Tonight’s Duff Duff was brilliant – Vicki standing up to that toxic runt of a man. Why is Chelsea always naturally attracted to toxic men? Free her immediately.”
Damon was knocked out when Vicki pushed him into a washing machine(Image: BBC)
Another said: “Yeah I can’t believe they’ve retconned Chelsea’s character like this – after eveything that happend with Gray – Chelsea should be turned off those “Married men in suits” kind of guys. Also I hate the narrative that Chelsea and Denise have the same type as well. A third fumed: “making chelsea knowingly see a married man takes away from the message of misogyny from today’s episode because women like her enable men like him to think that is ok. this just wasn’t needed. bad writing.”
But, in defence of the whole thing, another said: “Not to be rude but can yous shurrup! I’m seeing people complaining about when Chelsea gets nothing to do and then now when she has something to do yas still all complaining!! You either want her on screen or you don’t! Make yer mind up!”
Chelsea first appeared on Albert Square in 2006, alongside her mother Denise Fox, and at that point she was played by Tiana Benjamin. Over the course of four years, she was involved in several love triangles with various characters and discovered that her father was a serial killer before leaving for Spain.
In 2020, Chelsea made a comeback to Walford, now played by Zaraah Abrahams, who at the time was known for having played factory worker Joanne Jackson in Coronation Street and school bully Michaela White in Waterloo Road. In 2021, she married Gray Atkins, and they had son Jordan thogether, although it became apparent very quickly that he was controlling and he was jailed after murdering several residents of the East London borough.
Chelsea also had a relationship with Ravi Gulati but he had an affair with her mother Denise and this led to a fractured relationship between the two.
In the summer of 2024, Chelsea was caught up in drama involving the Notting Hill Carnival celebrations when she was wrongly implicated for overselling tickets at Peggy’s nightclub that led to a stampede and almost killed a few people. Despite all the prominent storylines, Chelsea has not appeared much this year – and was prior to her comeback in early November, she was last seen in an episode that aired in early September.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .