EastEnders airs emotional revelation and decision for Bianca Jackson in early BBC iPlayer release

The BBC One soap has certainly been livened up by a returning stint for the beloved character but fans have seen Bianca struggling - and acting out - in recent weeks, particularly with the exit of adopted daughter Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty).

Having helped conceal the infidelity between Whitney's fiancé Zack Hudson (James Farrar) and Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), Whitney left Walford with her baby Dolly Dean-Hudson and her foster daughter Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell) and rejected her adopted mother for her betrayal.

Since then, Bianca has stayed with beloved half-sister Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) but butted heads with her partner Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman).

This week, Bianca discovered that Reiss was secretly funding his and Sonia's IVF treatments through funds from his comatose wife Debbie Colwell and forced him to come clean with Sonia.

Following this, Sonia chose to stick by Reiss and even encouraged him to continue using money from Debbie's account to pay for it - to Bianca's disgust and a threat from Reiss to Sonia's sister.

On Wednesday, Bianca remained firm on her position and Sonia demanded an audience with her sister. Despite Sonia's decision, Bianca continued to deride Reiss's behaviour and warned Sonia away from him.

They fell out further when Sonia felt Bianca was minimising her desire to have another child despite having had a less-than-average experience as a young mother to Bex Fowler.

Sonia warned Bianca to get on board with her plans or to move out.

Later in The Albert bar, Bianca opened up to best pal Kat Mitchell (Jessie Wallace) about her situation with Sonia and Reiss before revealing further sad news: she had been diagnosed with depression and had not had a pleasant experience with medication nor group therapy and the waiting list for individual therapy was too long.

As Bianca lamented how she felt like her mental health was deteriorating, Kat urged her to seek help and speak to Sonia.

Later, Kat approached Sonia about the situation but when Sonia realised that Kat knew about the situation with Reiss, Sonia marched over to the Queen Vic to confront her sister who was continuing to drink.

After Zack separately encouraged Bianca to not give up hope on Whitney and to embrace help where she could, Sonia entered and hit out at her sister for gossiping about her and Reiss and also slammed Bianca for making her life worse since she returned.

While Kat defended her friend from Sonia, a volatile Bianca went a step further and climbed over the Queen Vic bar to announce Reiss and Sonia's uncomfortable means for funding their IVF before landlady Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) warned Bianca to leave.

As Bianca broke down in tears and left the pub, Sonia followed after her telling her they had to talk but Bianca felt abandoned by the one person she had left.

Climbing drunk into her taco van, Bianca prepared to drive away but Sonia implored her to come back to the house so they could talk the situation through.

A depressed Bianca considered her options but upon noticing an approaching Reiss, she reacted with upset and slammed the van door shut and drove out of Albert Square, leaving an upset Sonia behind.

Anyone affected by Bianca's story can visit Mind UK, where you can find support for depression, or call the helpline on 0300 123 3393.

Has Bianca Jackson left EastEnders for good?

We do not have it confirmed whether this is Patsy Palmer's final appearance as Bianca Jackson in EastEnders, but it certainly feels like a goodbye for now, at least.

Patsy Palmer reprised her role for a short stint to coincide with Whitney's exit but the soap has certainly made the most of her since then too.

However, the door seems wide open for a potential comeback and we'd love to see her reconciled with her family sometime soon.

Fingers crossed Patsy Palmer can make a comeback ASAP!

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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.