Sam Mitchell will learn the truth about Zack Hudson’s HIV diagnosis in EastEnders next week.
Earlier this month, Zack (James Farrar) was told by his old friend Brett Nelson (Fabrizio Santino) to get tested for HIV after Brett himself tested positive and the pair previously shared needles while abusing steroids together.
Zack discovered that he was indeed HIV positive and Brett encouraged him to give the details of his previous sexual partners to the sexual health clinic so those partners could be notified of their need to get tested.
Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) is currently pregnant from a one-night stand with Zack and blood tests so far have shown no sign of HIV infection in the baby.
Meanwhile, other previous partners of Zack’s were also notified, with Sam (Kim Medcalf) getting tested herself and being shown to be negative for HIV.
Next week, Zack does his best to be there for Whitney without her knowing – asking Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) to give her a buggy for the baby that he has bought, to Kat’s confusion.
Later, after spotting that Sam is still in Walford following previous plans to leave for Germany with her ex-husband Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen), Zack fears that she has stayed due to testing positive for HIV.
When asking Sam questions, the club manager gets suspicious and realises that the text she got from the clinic was about Zack. In response, Zack opens up and tells her that he is HIV positive.
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As time passes, Sam gets Zack to open up more about what he is going through and he admits his feelings of shame and terror regarding the stigma those living with HIV face.
Yet, when Sam discovers that Zack is not taking his medication for HIV she gets angry with him and advises him to continue treatment and also to tell Whitney the truth.
At the same time, Whitney panics when she experiences spotting and visits the doctors where a diagnosis is made.
As the week draws to a close, Whitney is dazed following the news and Kat lets slip that Zack does indeed care about the pregnancy before later warning Zack himself to see Whitney.
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Will the latest events with the pregnancy bring Zack and Whitney closer together? And will Zack tell Whitney about what he’s going through?
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can visit the British Pregnancy Advisory Service for more information and contact 03457 30 40 30 for support. For help, support and guidance around HIV, visit the Terrence Higgins Trust charity website.
EastEnders airs on Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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