7 hours ago
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Libby Fox (Belinda Owusu) is back as her mum, and EastEnders stalwart, Denise (Diane Parish) begins her battle with cancer, but when she involves herself in sister Chelsea’s (Zaraah Abrahams) affairs, is she about to cause even more trouble for the Fox’s?
Speaking on her big return to the show, Belinda said: ‘I am beyond thrilled to be back on the Square.
‘Getting the Foxes back together has been such a joy, full of fun and nostalgia! It’s been 20 years since I first joined, so coming back has been like returning home!
‘It’s a really great team and I’ve been loving my time here. Libby is coming home to support her family during a difficult time, and it’s been so wonderful stepping back into her shoes and becoming a Fox again.’
Show boss, Ben Wadey, echoed her words, saying: ‘We’re thrilled to welcome Belinda back to the role of Libby Fox as we start to uncover another piece of the puzzle of the New Year’s Day flashforward storyline.
‘Libby returns at a particularly emotional time for the Fox-Trueman family, and it’s clear that her family need her now more than ever.’
The Fox-Truemans have faced two life-changing events recently, with Denise being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and Chelsea’s son, Jordan (Jahsaiah Williams) being knocked down by Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt).
Up until now, Denise has refused to divulge her diagnosis, with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) currently being the only people who know.
Despite her doctor’s pleas for her to begin treatment immediately, Denise has been refusing, feeling an intense need to support a quickly-crumbling Chelsea as she navigates the terrifying aftermath of Jordan’s injuries.
Even with the doctor’s stern warnings that delaying treatment any further could prove to be fatal and Jack’s terror that Diane’s reluctance will take her to an early grave, she’s remained steadfast in her decision.
Next week sees everything change. While Denise continues to claim that she’ll only get treatment on her on terms and in her own time, Jack turns to Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), and between them, they endeavour to convince her to get to the hospital and begin treatment. When Phil attempts to talk to her, though, she angrily kicks him out.
As the family rally around to work out how best to support both Chelsea and Jordan, the news of Kim Fox and Howie Danes (Tameka Empson and Delroy Hugh Atkinson) engagement comes out. While the family decide to celebrate properly later, Chelsea is acutely aware that Denise is distracted.
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As they take to the Vic that evening, Denise becomes overwhelmed and finally reveals her predicament to her family.
Deciding to admit herself for treatment the following day, the Fox-Truemans are absolutely shell-shocked, yet they gather themselves and promise to keep things running smoothly while she’s in hospital.
Chelsea summons Libby, and the two share an emotional family reunion with their mum, both pledging to be tested as bone-marrow doners. After some initial friction between the sisters, Chelsea finds herself leaning on Libby, even admitting that Jordan’s dad, crazed serial killer Gray Atkins’ (Toby-Alexander Smith) mum, Sheila (Sheila Ruskin), has been sending cheques to help with raising her grandson, but she’s yet to cash them.
With Denise in hospital, Chelsea quickly begins to burn out when faced with looking after Jordan and her financial instability, and she’s shaken when he asks to see Denise and Jack. Libby, looking to ease things for Chelsea, secretly contacts Sheila herself for help.
With Chelsea thus far rejecting any offer of help from Gray’s side of the family, how will she react to Libby’s bold move? With Denise in hospital, willshe come out to find her two daughters at war?
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