Is Call the Midwife's Lucille leaving for good?

Following her miscarriage and the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, plus her devastation at missing her sister's wedding and other important family moments, her mental health was deteriorating rapidly.

"She is going further and further downhill," said Nurse Crane to Mrs Wallace.

After Lucille considered taking her own life, she paid Dr Turner a visit. He informed her that she was in the midst of a nervous breakdown and prescribed her with a long bout of rest, the first step in her recovery.

To help her along, Cyril purchased her a ticket to Jamaica in the hope that a few weeks in the sunshine with her loved ones would do her the world of good.

But a short time away has since turned into six months.

Lucille's sister Celine informed Cyril over the phone that his wife had taken a job on a maternity ward in the Caribbean, a fact she'd failed to mention during their previous correspondence.

Naturally, Cyril was deeply concerned by the development.

"Maybe there was more wrong than I knew, in the marriage, in us," he said to Violet. "What if Lucille was unhappy for all that time [we've been married]?"

Despite Violet's efforts to convince him that absence can make the heart grow fonder, Cyril remained troubled by Lucille's decision.

"And sometimes, the opposite happens," he said.

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That prompted him to head out to Jamaica to speak to Lucille face to face.

Would she choose to stay? And if so, was that a temporary move or a permanent one? Would she accompany him back to England?

In tonight's episode, the future remained uncertain.

Cyril returned from Jamaica – and he was alone. Initially, he appeared extremely glum about her absence, but when he spoke to Violet and Fred his mood appeared lighter.

"Lucille is still in Jamaica," he said. "She's fine. She's taken to her new job and it's doing her good to be with her family. She sends her love."

Fred was puzzled. "But you decided to come back?" he asked.

"I have a good job here, and some good friends," responded Cyril. "This is my home."

Speaking to RadioTimes.com about Lucille's future, Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas said: "Cyril is very much around at the moment. He's back in Poplar and he's waiting. And I think we're all waiting with him to find out what's going to happen.

"We are all Cyril at the moment. We are all in the dark. We don't know what's going to happen."

With the pair now living separate lives, is this the end of the road for Lucille and Cyril? Has Lucille's time on Call the Midwife come to an end?

For information and support, please visit the NHS website and/or Mind.

Call the Midwife airs on BBC One on Sundays at 8pm and is also available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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