George is in turmoil, and he mulls over Eddie’s manipulative ultimatum, with his loved ones desperately worried about him.

Elaine asks grandson Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) to talk through the legal implications of giving a statement in court, hoping to help George with his decision.

But George remains conflicted, until a heart-to-heart with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) leads him to trust his gut.

At the courts, Gloria is distracted by the arrival of a mysterious woman, while George takes to the stand. In the aftermath of the trial, Elaine is worried sick about George, and she and Cindy join forces to get George to calm down for the girls’ sake.

Then a visitor at The Vic changes everything, and later, Elaine and the girls begin a frantic search for George. But where is he, and who has turned up to see him?

Speaking about George’s feelings about his adoptive parents, Salmon explained: “George loves Eddie, and some people will think that’s bonkers, but this is still his dad.

“However, in George’s mind, he’s now thinking, ‘I knew you were a wrong ‘un and I didn’t like the way you treated mum, and you bullied us all our lives.’

“Growing up, George thought this was acceptable, but now he knows as a man and a father that it’s not, and nobody needs to be like that.

“So, George is struggling to understand what Eddie did. However, he gets that Gloria loved George so much, and he realises that Eddie must have loved Gloria to do what he did for her so she could keep this baby. It’s love, but twisted love.”

If you have been affected by the issues in this article surrounding racism and hate crime, please visit the website Stop Hate UK for independent and confidential support to people affected by hate crime, including confidential hate crime reporting services in various parts of the UK. For more support, see BBC Action Line.

3. Jack Branning suspicious as Stacey Slater visits Denise Fox

Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Jack are thrown together as Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) and Ricky Branning (Frankie Day) celebrate Mother’s Day at Walford East.

Ricky and Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) beg Jack to let them see stepmum Denise Fox (Diane Parish) in hospital, and he promises to speak to Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) to try and make it happen.

But Denise is refusing to see anyone, and Johnny insists that Stacey must get to Denise before Jack or the kids do, so as to stop the murderous secret being exposed.

Johnny piles on the pressure for Stacey to sort the issue for the sake of all the women, so she asks Denise to let her visit.

At the hospital, Denise tells Stacey she’s no longer having visions of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), but she wants to stay put.

Stacey argues that Denise needs her loved ones around her, but at that moment, Jack walks in and demands to know what Stacey is doing there.

Stacey thinks on her feet with a convincing cover story, but Jack is hurt when Denise continues to reject him. When Denise talks to Dr Abe later, she explains that she feels safe in hospital and wants to stay.

Meanwhile, Jack is still rattled by Stacey and Denise’s bond, and starts doing some digging. Will he uncover the truth about Keanu’s murder?

 

4. Eve Unwin’s fears over Suki Panesar’s big offer

Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) tells Suki to make it up with Eve, who is still smarting from Suki moving out of the Slaters’.

Suki apologises and invites Eve to move into the Panesar home now that the lease is in her name, but Suki doesn’t get the response she hoped for.

Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) becomes an unlikely confidante for Eve, who is worried that living with Suki’s family would be a recipe for disaster.

Eve finally talks her fears through with Suki, but will the couple come to a decision together?

5. Jean Slater helps Jade Masood with charity event

BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Jean steps in to save the day when Jade is about to cancel her charity auction, but there’s a lot to do and not much time.

Jean struggles with a lack of donations for the auction, until Pastor Clayton (Howard Saddler) and Yolande step in to help.

While things begin to look up for Jean and Jade’s project, as the prayer group hands over a huge amount of stuff, the week takes a distressing turn for Yolande…

6. Yolande Trueman troubled by local gossip

BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Yolande is elated by the progress for the auction, but is soon upset to discover from fellow churchgoer Agatha that people are whispering about her relationship with Pastor Clayton.

Later, an incident at the church leaves Yolande feeling even worse about the rumours. But when Pastor Clayton makes Yolande tell her what’s going on, he denounces the gossips, and gets Yolande to promise it won’t affect their friendship.

Will Yolande be able to rise above the fake news?

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