EastEnders’ Lily Slater is pushed to her limits and ends up skipping school as she tries to manage the Slater household all by herself.
EastEnders fans are in for some emotional scenes next week as Lily Slater, played by Lillia Turner, finds herself struggling to cope. The pressure mounts after Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) leaves Walford heartbroken.
Jean’s world was shattered last week when Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) revealed that Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman) had cheated on her with Kathy (Gillian Taylforth).
The shocking announcement was made during Jean and Harvey’s engagement party at The Queen Vic, leaving guests utterly astonished.Despite Jean begging Harvey to stick around for “the kids”, his departure to Kathy’s place showed where his affections lay, shattering Jean as she watched him go.
In the upcoming episodes, we’ll see the aftermath of the drama involving Harvey, Kathy, and the Slaters unfold as Jean and Mo (Laila Morse) take some time out of Walford.
As Jean takes her leave, Lily and Freddie (Bobby Brazier) find themselves struggling to hold down the fort at the Slater residence, with Stacey (Stacey Slater) locking herself away in grief over Martin Fowler’s (James Bye) passing, reports Belfast Live.
Lily finds herself overburdened, missing school to tend to household duties and lying to Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) to keep them in the dark.
Things come to a head however when Freddie spills the beans to Kat about the dire situation and pleads with her to step in. But upon arriving, Kat uncovers something that sets alarm bells ringing.
She attempts to take the reins of the Slaters and arranges a family meeting with Alfie (Shane Richie), Eve, and Suki.
They agree to share childcare duties, but there’s concern that Stacey, who’s clearly struggling, might need professional help – a suggestion she quickly dismisses.
Lily is left devastated and breaks down upon realising that her mum, Stacey, isn’t planning on leaving her bedroom anytime soon.
However, later in the week, Stacey decides to venture out of her home for the first time in weeks and invites the family over for a meal. This invitation leaves Kat worried that Stacey might be pushing herself too hard, too soon.
While Stacey is busy organising her family gathering, she becomes distracted when she notices that her coat and mobile phone have accidentally ended up in the laundry bag, which Freddie has taken to be washed.
In a panic, she explains that the mobile contains voicemails, photos, and texts from Martin, all of which will be lost forever if the phone gets damaged.
As she rushes off to retrieve the phone, Alfie is left stunned when Stacey’s young son Arthur confides a secret in him – but what does he reveal?
Kat and Lily try to soothe Stacey as they fear she’s having a bipolar episode; however, when Alfie shares what Arthur told him, an incident between Stacey and Lily pushes their relationship to breaking point.
Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) tries to intervene and has heartfelt chats with both Stacey and Lily. Will the Slaters be able to cope without Jean, given Stacey’s current mental state?