EASTENDERS favourite Stacey Slater is left teetering on the edge as she battles grief over Martin Fowler’s tragic death.
In emotional upcoming scenes next week, Stacey struggles to hold it together as she juggles her family’s needs while quietly falling apart.
Next week on the soap, Jean and Mo off the scene and it’s chaos at the Slater house as Lily and Freddie are left to hold the fort – while Stacey refuses to leave her bedroom.
The pressure piles on Lily, who’s forced to lie to Kat and Eve to hide the worrying truth about her mum.
But when Freddie clocks that Lily’s been bunking off school to pick up the slack, he runs straight to Kat and begs her for help.
Kat’s stunned when she turns up at the house and sees the state of things – and it’s clear something’s seriously wrong with Stacey.
Kat steps up as head of the Slater clan and calls an emergency family meeting, rallying Alfie, Eve and Suki to figure out how to cope with the chaos.
With Stacey still locked away upstairs, the gang agree to share childcare duties – but it’s clear they’re all starting to fear she needs more than just a helping hand.
When Stacey finally drags herself into the kitchen and finds the crew waiting, she brushes off Kat’s concerns and shuts everyone down.
But the heartbreak really hits home later when Lily breaks down in tears, realising her mum isn’t coming back to her any time soon.
Later in the week, Stacey leaves the house for the first time in weeks – but Kat is worried her cousin is pushing herself too hard too soon.
Kat is on edge when Stacey excitedly invites everyone over for a big Slater family dinner.
As Stacey forces on the fun with party hats and jokes, disaster soon strikes when she realises her coat – and more importantly, her mobile – has gone missing.
Freddie’s accidentally scooped it up in the laundry and taken it to be washed.
But Stacey is horrified – the phone holds precious voicemails, photos and final messages from Martin, and they could be gone for good.
She bolts off to try and rescue it... while back at No.31, Alfie is floored when Arthur confides a bombshell secret.
At the laundrette, panic sets in as Stacey desperately tries to save her phone from the spin cycle – sending Kat and Lily into crisis mode.
Kat gently pleads with Stacey to calm down, fearing her cousin could be in the grips of another bipolar episode.
Lily tries to support her mum, but tensions boil over when Stacey snaps – just as Alfie arrives with shocking news.
Alfie reveals what Arthur told him in confidence, and the fallout is instant.
An emotional Stacey lashes out, leading to a heart-breaking clash with Lily that threatens to destroy their fragile bond.
With Stacey spiralling and the Slaters in chaos, can anyone stop things from going too far?
airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
