Zack Hudson and Lauren Branning (James Farrar and Jacqueline Jossa) are hiding a massive secret in EastEnders, having slept together behind Whitney Dean’s (Shona McGarty) back.
The only other person who knows about their betrayal is Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), who is set to put pressure on Lauren to come clean to her best friend in upcoming scenes.
Bianca has already made it clear just how angry she is about the whole situation by slapping both Lauren and Zack, so her warning that Lauren must tell Whitney before she does leaves Lauren fearful.
‘Bianca’s slap was iconic! When I read that script, I was so excited,’ actress Jacqueline Jossa enthused.
‘The fallout of Lauren and Zack betraying Whitney is so exciting, brilliant and really well done. Bianca finding out is the cherry on top because Lauren is truly terrified of her.
‘There aren’t too many people that Lauren is scared of, but she is of Bianca, and I think Whitney would be on the list as well; she wouldn’t want to mess with Whitney either.
‘She’s treading on eggshells because she doesn’t want Whitney to find out, but she also doesn’t want to push Bianca so much that she comes out with it in front of everyone in true EastEnders style! That could happen at any point, and Lauren is well aware of that.’
With Bianca breathing down her neck, Lauren attempts to put doubts in Whitney’s mind about marrying Zack, though that soon backfires spectacularly, as Jacqueline reveals.
‘Ever since she’s been back, Lauren has been Zack’s biggest fan and rooting for him. She insisted that Whitney should tell him about Britney, for example. So, this weird flip to “He’s not good enough for you” comes out of nowhere.
‘Whitney sees it as jealousy because Lauren hasn’t got a lot going on in her love life, and I think there’s an element of truth to that.’
The confrontation with Whitney leaves Lauren distressed, and soon cousin Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) intervenes in an attempt to mend their friendship, though things don’t quite go to plan there either…
‘Penny can see that Lauren is super distressed about something, and Lauren panics and tells her that it’s a stupid argument with Whitney. But because it’s Whitney’s hen do, Penny takes things into her own hands and locks them in the taco van to sort out their troubles.
‘She thinks that when they are ready, they’ll come out and dance the night away. But things don’t pan out like that…’
Locked in the taco van, Whitney’s waters end up breaking, which leaves Lauren totally panicked.
‘There are so many different thoughts going through her mind,’ Jacqueline explained. ‘The first is that she has to try to keep Whitney calm, and the second is that they need to get out of there because they don’t want Whitney to have a baby in a taco van.
‘There’s also the horrible thought that she might deliver Whitney’s baby, having slept with her fiancé. But ultimately, all she cares about is Whitney and the baby’s safety.’
