EastEnders airs emotional Ruby Allen exit amid Slater drama in iPlayer release

Following the cliffhanger which saw Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) discover that her daughter, Lily (Lillia Turner), set Martin Fowler's (James Bye) stall on fire, Ruby was furious.

Stacey and Ruby were horrified to learn that Lily had asked pal Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) to lie that she had seen Ruby light a match.

Ruby urged Stacey to report Lily, but Stacey ultimately told Ruby that she would be protecting Lily regardless.

After Stacey ordered Lily to ensure that Avani stuck to her story, Avani reminded Lily how angry she had been with Stacey for leaving recently.

Meanwhile, Ruby told Zack Hudson (James Farrar) that she had to leave for good, and the pair shared a charged moment before bidding farewell.

Ruby then sold the stall back to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), while Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) encouraged Stacey to make amends with Ruby after another harsh exchange between the former friends.

Stacey was deflated to learn from Zack that Ruby had already gone, but she soon found Ruby with son Roman at Martin's graveside.

Stacey apologised to Ruby and she returned the sentiment, and as the women spoke of their love for Martin, Ruby handed Stacey a gold plaque to commemorate Martin's life.

Ruby also shared that she would be giving Roman the Fowler surname, so he would "always know who his dad was".

Ruby and Roman walked away after a final goodbye, and Stacey felt a moment of peace before returning home to Lily.

But Lily was fuming that Stacey had let Ruby walk away, even though the latter was keeping her secret.

Despite Stacey's efforts to protect her, Lily unleashed a fresh tirade of nasty insults at her mum, feeling robbed of her future with a proper family.

Lily then wished that Stacey had died instead of Martin, leaving us wondering if the relationship between mother and daughter has been damaged forever.

Read more:

• EastEnders' Stacey Slater makes shock fire culprit discovery in iPlayer release
• EastEnders airs fitting farewell for Martin Fowler in emotional iPlayer release
• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
• EastEnders star confirms upcoming exit scenes following dramatic return last year
• Call the Midwife fans delighted as beloved star makes EastEnders debut
• EastEnders at 40: Best ever scandals from Pat and Frank to Sharongate
• EastEnders at 40: Best ever villains from Nick Cotton to Nish Panesar
• EastEnders at 40: Best ever whodunnits – From who shot Phil to who killed Archie?

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.

Visit our dedicated Soaps 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.