EastEnders has teased the return of one character on Monday, but her comeback was scrapped at the last minute after an incident involving Stacey Slater
EastEnders enthusiasts were left disappointed on Monday night when a much-anticipated return was abruptly cancelled by the character herself.
Just days ago, spoilers hinted at Lily Slater’s (played by Lillia Turner) comeback to Walford after a lengthy absence from the show, during which she has been living with her father Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) and baby daughter Charli.
However, following an incident involving her mother, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Lily’s return was unexpectedly called off as she announced she wouldn’t be coming back that evening as initially planned. This twist comes in the wake of teenager Joel Marshall’s (Max Murray) spiteful retaliation against Stacey, who had previously reprimanded him for his disrespectful language towards women.
In the latest episode, Stacey was shocked to discover that images and videos from her SecretCam site had been leaked. Long-time viewers will remember that Stacey had uploaded content to this adult site last year, leading to a terrifying encounter with stalker Theo (William Ellis).
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Joel came across this information last week and quickly located Stacey’s profile. So, when her content was publicly exposed this week, Stacey immediately confronted Joel, suspecting him to be the culprit, reports the Mirror.
Viewers also pointed fingers at Joel, speculating that he leaked the content in response to Stacey’s earlier rebuke. As multiple characters cast curious glances at Stacey, a smirking Joel watched on, leaving Stacey clueless about the situation until later.
Stacey was horrified by the leak and challenged Joel, but matters deteriorated further when she took a call from her daughter Lily.
Lily immediately called off her planned return to Walford after discovering what had occurred with the intimate footage. She informed Stacey that all her mates were discussing the clips, leaving her too embarrassed to face anyone.
With that declaration, she cancelled her Walford homecoming entirely – offering no indication of when she might actually come back.
The advance storylines hadn’t revealed that this anticipated return would be abandoned, and the previews had seemingly confirmed Lily would be back this week.
But now viewers are dreading the character might not return whatsoever, with some questioning why the advance information had guaranteed a comeback was definitely occurring.
Flocking to social media, one viewer posted: “So wait is Lily not coming back this week after all? Nooo.”
Another supporter remarked: “I hope it’s not too long before Lily comes back to Walford. I also hope they haven’t recast her.”
A third anxious viewer posted: “I thought she was meant to be back, I hope she’s not leaving”. Another message stated: “I think Lilly ain’t coming back.”
The responses carried on with another post stating: “I was excited to see Stacey and co finally on track waaaa 🙁 wonder what’s happening, isn’t Stacey meant to be taking a break soon?”
Expressing their bewilderment, another supporter said: “I’m so confused”, with another viewer adding: “It could just be one of those spoilers that doesn’t play out the way we think it does.”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
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