BBC EastEnders favourite rocked by pregnancy bombshell ahead of sad exit

Anna Knight has been romantically involved with Bobby Beale for months, despite also growing close to his best pal Freddie Slater – but next week, a pregnancy bombshell could shake everything up in EastEnders.

The daughter of Cindy Beale and former husband George Knight, played by Molly Rainford, once let her feelings for Freddie (Bobby Brazier) run wild as the pair romped, breaking Bobby’s heart. Since then, the latter learned to forgive his girlfriend and the trio have moved on.

But in scenes due to air next week on BBC One, the love triangle is set to take another turn as Anna gets the shock of her life when she finds out a baby is on the way.

Coming up, Anna is rattled by Freddie’s sudden distance from her, as the pair agreed to remain friends, ignoring the lingering chemistry between them. The Queen Vic bartender goes to see her pal, who brushes off her concerns and insists everything is fine – but he still won’t commit to birdwatching with her.

Anna doesn’t give up and later suggests that food with Bobby (Clay Milner Russell) and her sister Gina (Francesca Henry) could break the ice and, thinking there could be safety in numbers, the lad agrees.

But when Gina and Bobby both get side-tracked during the meal, a mischievous Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) teases about them being on their own date, prompting Freddie to rush out of Walford East, making up another weak excuse.

Upset, Anna opens up to Gina, who urges her to find out what Freddie is keeping from her but she quickly realises that he has feelings for her sister too. In later scenes, Anna tells Bobby she is having a hard time and he wants to cheer up.

Unfortunately, his schedule at Beale’s Eels forces him to put his relationship on the backburner, leaving Bobby to ask his pal Freddie for help – but the latter is determined to not be alone with her. Once again, Freddie makes up another flimsy excuse, leaving Anna hurt in the process.

Deciding to set the record straight with him, Anna asks Freddie if everything is okay between them but she has a dizzy spell before she can get a response. Her troubles only continue in later scenes when she finds Freddie and throws up in the café just as they gear up for a conversation.

But while Anna is focused on repairing the friendship, Gina begins to question if her sister could be pregnant and decides to buy her a pregnancy. While their mother Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) almost catches her in the act, Gina is eventually able to get the test to Anna. And in another shocking twist, as Anna takes the test in the Queen Vic, she discovers that she’s pregnant with Bobby’s baby.

This comes after actor Clay Milner Russell was claimed to have quit his role on the London-based show in April, 2024. “Clay’s a talented actor and he’s ambitious. He was never going to stay in EastEnders forever. He’s loved playing Bobby but he became an actor to play all kinds of roles and he wants to do that. The door is being left open but for now it’s a definite goodbye,” a source told The Sun of Clay’s decision to depart the role, which he has held for half a decade.

“Clay is a young actor so he wants to use these years to try his hand at other roles. He absolutely loves working on EastEnders and has made such great friends on the show so it was really difficult for him to make that decision, but having been a part of the show since 2019, he now feels like the time is right to explore other options.”

An EastEnders spokeswoman said in a statement: “We can confirm that Clay will be leaving EastEnders later on this year, and we wish him the best for the future,” but did not reveal how Bobby’s exit storyline would pan out. Could he leave overwhelmed by fatherhood?