Discovering a long-lost sibling in EastEnders would usually mean a secret vendetta or a chilling revelation – for Denise Fox (Diane Parish), it could very well save her life.
The no-nonsense matriarch of Clan Fox-Trueman was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia back in May. Thanks to her declining health, she’s been away from Albert Square and confined to the four walls of a hospital ward.
Even when it was safe to return home, she’s been forced to stay in bed separated from her loving family and partner Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).
This hasn’t stopped Queen Dee from sticking her oar in whenever the Fox-Truemans were in trouble. The added stress of Denise’s daughter Chelsea Fox struggling to care for her son Jordan Fox after he was hit by Ian Beale’s (Adam Woodyatt) car took its toll.
So did the return of Chelsea’s murderous ex Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) and his twisted plan to snatch Jordan. As always, Dee put her family first and delayed her own treatment to help Chelsea.
Unfortunately, Denise’s cancer is proving resistant to chemotherapy. A stem cell transplant may be her last hope. Time is of the essence, especially now Dee’s taken such a turn for the worse that she had to be placed in a medically induced coma.
Chelsea and Patrick were hoping for good news in Denise’s health battle.
Her sister Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) and the rest of the family have been scouring the internet for a donor with enough DNA to be a potential match. Their search of an ancestry website has yielded a potential lead in Darnell Larson Jr (Christopher Colquhoun), Denise’s newly discovered half-brother. Now they just need to find him.
In today’s episode (Tuesday 25 August), a frustrated Jack took matters into his own hands by using the police database to track down Darnell. Unbeknownst to him, Kim already made contact and Darnell agreed to meet Denise.
However, the real reason for this impromptu family reunion knocked the poor guy for six. Reeling, Darnell was completely overwhelmed and bolted, leaving Denise’s hopes of finding a donor in doubt…
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Meanwhile, Eve and Suki Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace and Balvinder Sopal) have family troubles of their own.
The couple’s adoption journey has been an uphill battle. Suki’s worrying attempt to pressure teenage step-granddaughter Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) to carry a child for them caused fractures within the Panesar-Gulati clan.
Despite being eventually approved for adoption, Suki’s parenthood quest was overshadowed by the anniversary of her son Jags’s (Amar Adatia) death. His own mother framed him for robbery and assault on Martin Fowler (James Bye), leading to his death in prison.
This dark chapter was eagerly pointed out by Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) as part of her ongoing feud with Suki and Eve. This prompted Suki to melt down, and Eve to physically lash out at Nicola in Harry’s barn… which was caught on CCTV.
Suki and Eve had recent drama with Nicola. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
Against all odds, the couple’s application proved a success thanks to Suki’s emotional pledge to be a fantastic parent. Enter Ria Virdi (Aaria Sharma), a young girl placed in their care on a foster placement.
Unfortunately, having a child has not been plain sailing. Eve has struggled to bond with the little girl, who misses her mum dearly.
In today’s episode, Eve and Suki were devastated to learn that Ria’s mother could potentially be looking to seek custody.
The stress led to rising tensions between Suki and her son Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota), who has a child of his own on the way – or so he thinks.
Vinny’s partner Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) secretly conceived the baby with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) during a pre-Christmas fling. Now she’s allowing Vinny to believe it’s his baby. Penny’s needed a lot of support, having recently been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism.
Will Suki and Vinny’s conflict have dire consequences for Penny?
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