Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) made a return to the Square with an unexpected injury during Wednesday’s EastEnders.
The character has been taking a break from Walford in recent weeks, as she’s spent time with her sisters Little Mo (Kasey Ainsworth) and Lynne (Elaine Lordan) off-screen at their nan’s beachside caravan.
But it seems Kat had a little too much fun, as she returned home on crutches after drunkenly falling over.
Her ex-husband Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) explained to Harvey Munroe (Ross Boatman) that she’d gone over on her ankle on the beach, with Kat adding she’d enjoyed one too many vodka tonics.
However, things look set to get a lot darker for Kat in the coming weeks, as takes centre stage in a child-to-parent abuse storyline.
Prior to her break, fans of the BBC soap saw her son Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) physically attack Kat, as his bad behaviour reached worryingly new levels.
When Kat pushed him in self-defence, the teenager called social services on his mum, threatening to pull their family apart.
While Tommy later confessed to the police he’d lied, Kat’s ordeal is far from over, as it was announced earlier this summer that harrowing scenes will see Tommy begin to control and dominate his mum.
EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw explained: ‘Kat is well-known in Albert Square for her no-nonsense attitude and fiery temper, but this storyline will explore how Tommy manipulates Kat’s unequivocal love for her son to exert his anger and elicit control.
‘Jessie and Sonny’s performances have thoughtfully portrayed the complex realities of child-to-parent abuse with compassion and understanding, and the storyline will demonstrate how Tommy’s behaviour affects their relationship and the wider Slater-Moon family as a whole.’
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
