EastEnders spoilers follow.
Lauren Branning is set to face a dilemma upon her return to EastEnders.
The character, played by Jacqueline Jossa, is set to return to Walford in the New Year, arriving alongside her cousin Penny.
In new scenes airing next month, Lauren arrives in Albert Square. Though she is mainly focused on reuniting with Louie, she is convinced by Peter Beale to stay longer, before she goes to check in on Penny.
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The situation grows worse when Lauren discovers that Peter knew Penny’s secret and didn’t tell her. She decides to go to Tanya’s immediately.
Meanwhile, Linda Carter worries that Lauren will discover the truth about Annie’s paternity. Whitney Dean promises to keep quiet, but as Lauren and Louie get into the taxi, Sonia Fowler heads over and reveals that Lauren has got another sister in Walford.
Before long, Lauren bursts into The Vic and demands to know why Linda didn’t tell her that Annie is her sister.
Later in the week, Lauren wonders whether to go to Exeter, but Bobby arrives to plead Peter’s case. Bobby’s advice gives her pause for thought though, and she agrees to stay a bit longer in Walford.
Sonia and Penny overhear Lauren revealing to Peter that she will stay longer and let him see Louie, and Penny hopes she may thaw towards her too. Yet Lauren refuses, leading Sonia to take matters into her own hands.
Speaking recently about her comeback, Jacqueline explained what is going on with Lauren upon her return.
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“She’s just spent Christmas in Paris with Penny and Louie, but she has had boys on her mind – well, one boy in particular,” the actress said. “She’s also been feeling pretty homesick.
“She seems to have grown. There is still this unspoken and underlying thing that she’s Max’s daughter, and she always will be. Lauren always fights against that to try to become a better person.
“She doesn’t want to be like her dad, and that’s really apparent. Louie is her main focus, and she’s fiercely protective of him. I want to say she doesn’t lose her head as much, but I don’t know if that’s true. I think she can navigate it slightly differently.
“She’s grown up a little bit – she’s not that 20-year-old girl who screams and shouts at everybody. That’s still there in the mix, though,” Jacqueline added.
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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