EastEnders should avoid reuniting Sharon Watts and Phil Mitchell after Albie twist

Sharon and Phil should remain apart.

By Laura Denby

Published: Tuesday, 09 January 2024 at 16:47 PM

Ever since EastEnders veteran Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) discovered that her ex-husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) is the biological father of her son Albie, there has been one thing on our minds: might the BBC soap decide to bring the former lovers back together?

Sharon and Phil’s on again, off again romance has been a talking point since ‘Sharongate’ back in 1994, when she was married to Phil’s brother Grant (Ross Kemp).

Thirty years on, there’s no sign of Sharon being out of Phil’s orbit for good; especially now that they know they share a child together. But this bombshell paternity twist shouldn’t be an excuse for EastEnders to reunite the pair – they are better off as friends.

After their own turbulent marriage ended in 2019, it was always made clear that Sharon and Phil still had strong feelings for each other.

From a brief decision to give their relationship another chance after the loss of son Denny (Bleu Landau) to that kiss at the wedding that never was for Phil and his now-wife Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), these characters just can’t stay away from each other.

But rather than focusing on Sharon and Phil’s passionate side, EastEnders should keep strengthening their friendship, because this is where they’re at their best.

Steve McFadden as Phil Mitchell, Letitia Dean as Sharon Watts in a wedding dress, and Danny Walters as Keanu Taylor in EastEnders.
Steve McFadden as Phil Mitchell, Letitia Dean as Sharon Watts in a wedding dress, and Danny Walters as Keanu Taylor in EastEnders.
BBC

Recent scenes which saw Phil lend Sharon the money to secure Albie’s safety – during a time when he was unaware that the boy was his child – played perfectly on their rich history.

Several years earlier, Phil had stepped in to support Sharon when Denny’s father, Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman) was murdered – although his own actions had partly caused the tragedy in the first place.

Sharon has even kept Phil’s secret after he cheated on Kat with Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit). Not that we approve, but there’s a solid bond and a two-way loyalty here which should not be destroyed by yet another doomed romance between them.

Sharon’s storylines have revolved around her love life for too long; and of course, since Christmas Day’s shocking murder of her ex-fiancé Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), we’re finally seeing her not rely on a man as she struggles to cope with what’s happened.

 

But with Sharon lonely, and Phil’s fling about to be exposed, it’s looking likely that they’ll both be single soon.

Once the dust has settled on The Six’s ordeal, and providing Sharon keeps her freedom, it would be all too easy to lean on Sharon and Phil as a couple. After all, Sharon did warn Kat that she could easily win Phil back from her.

Yet, co-parenting as separate units is something they’ve never had the chance to tackle before, and it would be a way of changing up the dynamic between Sharon and Phil at last.

She deserves better than being relegated to the gangster’s wife role, and could take tips from fellow co-conspirators Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), who each had a child with Phil, on keeping him in line!

We were given a harsh reminder of just how toxic a partner Phil can be during Christmas, when he attempted to bully Sharon into allowing him access to Albie.

While he’s mellowed over the years, this moment served as yet another good reason why Sharon must not go there again. Phil needs to prove himself, and then maybe order can be restored in terms of their bond.

But Sharon is a Watts, not a Mitchell, and just because Albie has Mitchell blood, that doesn’t make his parents endgame. So please, EastEnders, keep Sharon and Phil’s relationship purely platonic!

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