A new bombshell to end the week.
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
The future of two EastEnders characters has been confirmed, just as Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) made a decision about leaving Walford.
Stacey’s older brother Sean (Robert Kazinsky) has invited her and her children to live with him in Brazil, and her eldest daughter, Lily (Lillia Turner), was thrilled by the idea.
Initially undecided, Stacey eventually threw caution to the wind and booked one-way flights for her, Lily, Lily’s young daughter Charli, and Stacey’s youngest kids Arthur and Hope.
When she and Lily discussed giving Charli’s father Ricky Branning (Frankie Day) the news, Stacey offered to be there, knowing that Ricky’s dad Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) could be difficult to deal with.
But after telling a hurt Jean (Gillian Wright) the news, Stacey was distracted when she spotted Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) speaking to Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) about hiring a private investigator to find her son.
Concerned, Stacey and Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) told Zoe it was risky to involve Sharon.
Zoe insisted that she simply didn’t care how it happened, she just wanted to find her boy and be his mum.
As Zoe’s heartfelt words, and her comment about not knowing where her baby girl was buried, hit home, Kat asked Stacey to help her with a gesture.
A the allotments, Zoe remarked that she recalled drinking there with old pal Kelly Taylor (Brooke Kinsella), and Kat and Stacey presented Zoe with a plant in memorial of her daughter, leaving her grateful as Kat promised they would find her son.
But with Stacey missing in action, Lily struggled through telling Ricky and Jack about Brazil.
Predictably, Jack was furious, while an upset Ricky kindly showed his support to Lily when she confided that her family needed this move after the loss of dad Martin Fowler (James Bye).
Back at the house, Lily raged at Stacey for not being there for her, and when the teen received a photo from Ricky, who had let Charli put makeup on him, she realised she couldn’t bring herself to take their little girl away.
With thoughts of Martin never far from her mind, Lily decided to sacrifice the chance of a new life for the sake of keeping Ricky and Charli close, and insisted to Stacey that they wouldn’t be joining her in Brazil after all.
Will Stacey continue in her plans to leave, or might this development change her mind?
