EastEnders hunk Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) has a new admirer in the surprising form of teenager Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield), who made her move on the stunned stallholder on Thursday 21 March by planting a kiss smack on the lips.

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During an emotional chat in which they reminisced about tragic Shakil Kazemi - Kush's little brother and Bex's ex-boyfriend who was killed last year in a knife attack - Bex made big Bambi eyes at the fittie as he told her what a great girl she was, while she offered to lend an ear if he ever felt like talking about his deceased sibling.

Before you could say 'Old enough to be your father,' the clearly smitten student went in for a smooch, leaving Kush reeling. Bex's crush has been apparent over the last few weeks as she suddenly had more scenes with the muscly market trader, and their snog had been teased in the recent spring trailer so it must be going somewhere. But alarm bells are ringing, and we feel it necessary to point out the potential pitfalls of this inappropriate romance-in-the-making before someone gets hurt…

He's her dad's best mate
Martin Fowler (James Bye) displayed his over-protective method of parenting earlier this week when he nearly punched Albert Square pariah Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) mistakenly believing he'd chatted up Bex. What would he do if he discovered his trusted BFF was locking lips with his little girl? Bridge Street market would be a bloodbath (although man mountain Kush could easily take Martin in a fight).

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There's a sizeable age gap
A key ingredient in any scandalous soap affair is an age difference to raise eyebrows to onlookers and cause problems within the relationship itself. Bex is 18, Kush is in his mid-30s - the same age as Martin, so they could literally be father and daughter. That's just icky.

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She dated his dead brother
It's a bit weird that Bex got really crushing on Kush to the point of uncontrollable lust as they got deep and meaningful in talking about how much they both cared for poor Shaki (RIP) - is making a move on his handsome big brother really the best way to honour someone's memory barely a year after their death?

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He's only just been dumped by his ex-fiancee
Not so long ago Kush and cougar Denise Fox (Denise Parish) had a happy future ahead of them - despite their own age gap issues, with Mr Kazemi being the younger model in that dynamic. But for no discernible reason Dee dumped her intended after returning from a holiday having had a contrived change of heart about being together. Even by soap standards, surely it's too soon to plunge into another romance? Did anyone say 'rebound'?

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She has bad history with older men
This isn't the first time Bex has fallen for someone outside of her age group - seeking emotional support after being bullied at school, Bex took teacher Mr Price's kindness for something else entirely and kissed him when they were caught in 2017's gas explosion. She borderline-obsessively pursued him despite his rejection, though he kept quiet about the smacker until he started dating her mum Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) and awkwardly admitted it. Unsurprisingly he was ran out of town, but Bex's bunny boiler behaviour needs flagging up.

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He's currently shacked up with Big Mo
The idea of metrosexual Kushy sharing a flat with gobby grandma Big Mo Harris (Laila Morse) after the Slaters threw her out has provided unexpected comedy gold, but if he brings Bex home for a candlelit meal it's going to be quite the passion killer if the pensioner is picking her toenails in front of the telly. And it'll be even weirder for Bex seeing as Mo delivered her when Sonia went into labour on Dot's sofa without even realising she was pregnant all those years ago. Don't they grow up fast?

On the other hand…
Despite all this both characters are desperately in need of a storyline, and it's very randomness feels fresh and intriguing - and we've proved there's bags of potential for drama. We wonder if new producer Kate Oates came in and demanded a surprising new romance between two characters you never would've put together to get people talking - maybe it's a great idea after all…!

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Authors

Johnathon HughesSoaps Writer, RadioTimes.com
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