EastEnders viewers have started to fear Jean Slater may face another health battle as she made the decision to leave Albert Square to rest her painful back.
The EastEnders cleaner portrayed by Gillian Wright recently called time on her relationship with Harvey Monroe (played by Ross Boatman) after finding out he had been lying to her about his reasons for working himself to the bone, as he was trying to help Maya fix her money woes out of guilt for what his son Aaron did to her husband.
But while the cabbie tried to win her back during this Thursday's (August 22) trip to Walford aired on BBC One, Jean made it clear her mind was elsewhere as her back continued to cause her intense pain.
Tired of struggling and working while she was being tormented by her back pains, Jean decided, as this Thursday's instalment drew to a close, to pay a visit to her son Sean Slater, who left Walford in 2021. Jean waved Harvey goodbye, telling him she needed space before even considering working on their relationship.
Multiple soap fans jumped on social media to share their thoughts on Jean's latest move. "I am glad that Jean is refusing to be lied to anymore, Harvey has lied too many times now!", one wrote as a second added: "Jean needs a physio asap, poor soul."
Meanwhile, one viewer of the London-based programme rumbled an upcoming storyline for Jean, as they speculated that her back pains may be a symptom of an underlying condition: "Hope this back pain isn’t Jean’s cancer back", they wrote on X, otherwise known as Twitter.
Jean was diagnosed with ovarian cancer back in 2019 but was thankfully given the all-clear after going through treatment. The storyline led her to meet fellow cancer patient Daniel, who became her partner, and soap fans were left in tatters when he was killed off, drawing his last breath while sitting next to Jean on an Albert Square bench.
In 2021, Jean was convinced she was dying of cancer but she was eventually told her symptoms had been brought on by stress. And while Harvey's storyline with Maya was quickly resolved, with the latter encouraging him to finally move on, more trouble may be ahead for Harvey as he could have to support Jean in her health ordeal. Which would then mean Jean won't be gone for long. But will she really return?
Jean's exit comes after another legend was forced out of Walford. While BBC One viewers are aware that Sonia Fowler's fiancé Reiss Colwell is the real culprit, authorities are convinced that the beloved nurse played by Natalie Cassidy has smothered Debbie Colwell to death with a pillow in an attempt to cash in on her life insurance money.
With all the evidence pointing to Sonia, the accountant portrayed by Jonny Freeman was able to walk free from his questioning and this Thursday's instalment of the London-based programme ended with Sonia's dramatic exit as she was taken away to prison to await her trial.
Natalie, 41, is now set to front a four-part series on Channel 4 titled What's The Big Deal? where she will look into popular household products that have taken homes by storm around the nation after the show's successful first edition, focused on the popularity of air fryers.
Speaking to The Sun about the project, a source said at the time: "Natalie will be taking a short break, just like many of her co-stars do when they have another project. Bosses always try to let stars spread their wings and if they can make it work with the often punishing soap schedule then they’ll do it." They added: "Natalie’s really excited to tackle the project for Channel 4. This is another string to her bow."
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