{"id":50994,"date":"2024-05-08T16:03:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T14:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2036899"},"modified":"2024-05-08T18:11:50","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T16:11:50","slug":"eastenders-jacqueline-jossa-reveals-how-lauren-branning-is-terrified-of-becoming-her-dad-max","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/eastenders-jacqueline-jossa-reveals-how-lauren-branning-is-terrified-of-becoming-her-dad-max\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders\u2019 Jacqueline Jossa reveals how Lauren Branning is terrified of becoming her dad Max"},"content":{"rendered":"

Actress Jacqueline Jossa has some thoughts on Lauren’s latest behaviour. <\/p>

By Lewis Knight\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 08 May 2024 at 14:03 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Lauren Branning will soon have some major explaining to do in EastEnders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The BBC One soap saw Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) return to Walford earlier this year and supported her long-term best friend Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) through her latest dramas.<\/p>\n

However, when she had a harsh disagreement with Whitney over the latter\u2019s behaviour, Lauren found herself turning to Whitney\u2019s boyfriend Zack Hudson (James Farrar), who was feeling equally alienated, and the pair had a one-night stand<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This betrayal was discovered by Lauren\u2019s cousin Bianca Jackson<\/a> (Patsy Palmer), who unleashed her fury on the pair but agreed to keep it a secret<\/a> to protect pregnant Whitney\u2019s health and happiness.<\/p>\n

Yet, next week, the drama looks set to potentially explode at Whitney and Zack\u2019s joint \u2018sten\u2019 do after their shock engagement.<\/p>\n

Speaking in a new interview shared with RadioTimes.com<\/a> and other press, actress Jacqueline Jossa has discussed how Lauren is dealing with the secrets and lies.<\/p>\n

\"Jacqueline\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer, right) is well aware of Lauren\u2019s actions.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

How is Lauren coping with the guilt she feels about sleeping with Zack?<\/strong>\u200c<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it comes in waves for Lauren. There are moments when she wants to bury it and take it to the grave, where she just wants to let Zack and Whitney be happy and pretend it never happened. Then there is the wave of \u2018I\u2019m not my dad\u2019 which comes over Lauren where she wants to come out and tell the truth. That\u2019s where she believes Whitney deserves more than a partner like Zack and a best friend like Lauren, and she wants her to be happy. It\u2019s very much instant regret from Lauren the moment after it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does this tap into Lauren\u2019s fear of being just like her dad, Max?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it does. It\u2019s so funny because I randomly watched an episode from 2012 from the archive on BBC iPlayer, and Lauren was drunk and was having a moment, saying, \u2018I\u2019m going to turn out just like my dad!\u2019 I thought, \u2018OMG, yes, she has!\u2019 This is a huge part of Lauren\u2019s regret and a huge part of why she did it in the first place. She knows she\u2019s capable of being a good person, but when she\u2019s hurt, she wants to hurt others, and she gets that from her dad. She hits the self-destruct but has instant regrets because she\u2019s got Tanya\u2019s conscience. Once the deed is done, both Zack and Lauren wish it never happened. They were friends, and that\u2019s all they were, and it\u2019s a shame.\u201d\u200c<\/p>\n

Bianca slapped Lauren when she found out. Is Bianca\u2019s involvement making this bad situation even worse for Lauren?<\/strong>\u200c<\/p>\n

\u201cBianca\u2019s slap was iconic! When I read that script, I was so excited. The fallout of Lauren and Zack betraying Whitney is so exciting, brilliant and really well done. Bianca finding out is the cherry on top because Lauren is truly terrified of her. There aren\u2019t too many people that Lauren is scared of, but she is of Bianca, and I think Whitney would be on the list as well; she wouldn\u2019t want to mess with Whitney either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jacqueline\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) dresses up for the \u2018Sten\u2019 do but is the party about to come to an abrupt end?<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

How does Lauren feel when Whitney asks her to be her maid of honour after falling out with Bianca?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200c\u201dIt is super awkward for Lauren \u2013 I even felt awkward filming it myself! It\u2019s one of those situations where you think, \u2018I can\u2019t be here, this is wrong!\u2019 Lauren loves her friend and wants to make her happy, and if she acts too weird, Whitney will notice, so she has to play along. But ultimately, Lauren probably wants to move back to New Zealand at that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does she fear this might tip Bianca over the edge?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200c\u201dDefinitely! She\u2019s treading on eggshells because she doesn\u2019t want Whitney to find out, but she also doesn\u2019t want to push Bianca so much that she comes out with it in front of everyone in true EastEnders style! That could happen at any point, and Lauren is well aware of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are both Zack and Lauren scared of what they have to lose?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Zack could lose everything, but Lauren would lose a lot, too. Lauren and Whitney have been best friends for years \u2013 almost 14 years, and they are sort of related. I honestly feel bad for them both because it was so stupid. It wasn\u2019t like there was lust there, and it would lead to a full-blown affair. It was just two people being in a really bad place, making the stupidest decision they could make and having to live with the consequences. They both have daddy issues!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge arc in Lauren\u2019s story and Max is a massive influence on everything she does \u2013 for better and worse. When it\u2019s better, she\u2019s thinking, \u2018I don\u2019t want to be anything like him\u2019, and when it\u2019s for worse, it\u2019s when she can\u2019t help herself becoming more and more like Max.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jacqueline\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Will Lauren come clean to Whitney?<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Lauren tries to share doubts about Zack with Whitney \u2013 how does that backfire?<\/strong>\u200c<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since she\u2019s been back, Lauren has been Zack\u2019s biggest fan and rooting for him. She insisted that Whitney should tell him about Britney, for example. So, this weird flip to \u2018He\u2019s not good enough for you\u2019 comes out of nowhere. Whitney sees it as jealousy because Lauren hasn\u2019t got a lot going on in her love life, and I think there\u2019s an element of truth to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do they end up getting locked in Bianca\u2019s taco van?<\/strong>\u200c<\/p>\n

\u201cPenny can see that Lauren is super distressed about something, and Lauren panics and tells her that it\u2019s a stupid argument with Whitney. But because it\u2019s Whitney\u2019s hen do, Penny takes things into her own hands and locks them in the taco van to sort out their troubles. She thinks that when they are ready, they\u2019ll come out and dance the night away. But things don\u2019t pan out like that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Does Lauren panic when Whitney\u2019s waters break?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200c\u201dThere are so many different thoughts going through her mind. The first is that she has to try to keep Whitney calm, and the second is that they need to get out of there because they don\u2019t want Whitney to have a baby in a taco van. There\u2019s also the horrible thought that she might deliver Whitney\u2019s baby, having slept with her fianc\u00e9. But ultimately, all she cares about is Whitney and the baby\u2019s safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read More<\/strong><\/p>\n