One of the most beloved characters in EastEnders in modern times has to be Lola Pearce.
The scrappy character portrayed by actress Danielle Harold is currently enduring her final storyline on the BBC One soap following her being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour.
After executive producer Chris Clenshaw explained the decision to kill off the beloved character, it seems we have had more focus on Lola’s family history than ever before.
Recent episodes have seen Lola keen to find out the truth about her mother and the impact being abandoned by her has had on her life.
So, just who is Lola Pearce’s mum and dad and how is she related to Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) and the rest of the Mitchells?
Who is Lola Pearce’s mum in EastEnders?
Lola Pearce’s mother in EastEnders is Emma Harding.
The character portrayed by actress Patsy Kensit had not appeared in the BBC One soap until Wednesday 25th January 2023.
Emma abandoned Lola when her daughter was three-years-old and was left with her father who then passed her on to her maternal grandmother.
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At the age of nine, Lola was put into care by her grandmother.
The reason why Emma abandoned Lola at such a young age has yet to be explored but will be following her introduction to the soap.
Describing Emma, executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: “Softly spoken and measured, on one hand, Emma is the very opposite of her long lost daughter, Lola. But on the other, there’s a striking resemblance; successful, the capacity to hold her own – if she says she’ll do something, she’ll do it – and she’s a fighter, just like Lola.
“Having spent a lifetime apart, Emma becomes desperate to make up for lost time, but her secret sadness and guilt are never far from the surface. The burden of losing her daughter has never left her, but can she find the courage to tell her shocking truth and reconnect with Lola, or will it come too little, too late?”
Who is Lola Pearce’s dad in EastEnders?
Lola Pearce’s mother in EastEnders is Dan Pearce.
Dan is the son of Billy Mitchell and Julie Perkins (Cathy Murphy) – and son Billy did not know existed until later life.
When a middle-aged Billy and Julie attempted to track down Dan years after Julie put him up for adoption, the pair found that Dan had died of liver failure.
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Dan had lived a troubled life that saw him spend multiple spells in prison prior to his death.
The character never appeared on-screen beyond an appearance in a photograph where he was portrayed by the actor Paul Warren.
After Billy and Julie tracked down information on Dan they learned that he had a daughter – Lola – who he had left in the care of her maternal grandmother.
How is Lola Pearce related to Billy Mitchell and the other Mitchells?
Billy Mitchell is the paternal grandfather of Lola Pearce who she affectionately calls “Pops”.
The pair did not have a relationship until Lola was a teenager as Billy was unaware of her existence or the fact that he had sired her father Dan from a youthful relationship with Julie Perkins.
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Billy’s father Stephen Mitchell was a cousin of Eric Mitchell, the father of Phil (Steve McFadden), Grant (Ross Kemp) and Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf).
Lola’s partner Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) is a foster son of both Billy and Phil Mitchell, while Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) – the father of Lola’s daughter Lexi (Isabella Brown) – is a distant relative of Lola’s through Billy and Phil.
Julie Perkins departed the soap not long after Lola’s introduction and so little is known of this side of Lola’s family.
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