*Warning: Contains spoilers for tonight's EastEnders episode (28th May 2024), currently available on BBC iPlayer.*

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EastEnders has confirmed the truth behind Nish Panesar's shock return to Walford.

The BBC One soap concluded its episode on Monday with Nish (Navin Chowdhry) claiming that he has returned to Walford to be with his family because he is dying.

Tuesday's episode opened with Nish claiming that he is terminally ill due to a virus that is causing his heart to fail and that it would eventually kill him.

Despite his attempts to appeal to his ex-wife Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) and sons Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota), his claims found no pity and all assumed he was indeed lying. Nish was then forced to leave his former home once more.

Later, Nish paid a visit to the cafe and checked in on Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris), giving his condolences for her loss of brother Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters).

Bernie pushed Nish to not give up on his family as nothing is more important.

Navin Chowdhry as a tired and pleading Nish Panesar in EastEnders.
Navin Chowdhry as a tired and pleading Nish Panesar in EastEnders. BBC

Nish also attempted to appeal to Ravi's ex and his former ally Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) but she too was unsympathetic and soon received back-up from Ravi when he arrived.

Tracking down his grandson after overhearing a conversation from Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega), Nish headed to McKlunky's and asked to speak to Davinder "Nugget" Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) and appeared to his desire to be a man to speak with his grandfather.

However, this appeal to Nugget was interrupted when Ravi caught them speaking and he flew into a rage at Nish and even slammed him against the wall.

Then, Nish keeled over in severe pain and was clutching his chest on the floor, prompting Nugget to implore his dad to call an ambulance.

In the hospital, Suki showed up alongside son Vinny as the family waited to hear what the doctors had to say.

It was then that a doctor confirmed that Nish was indeed telling the truth about being terminally ill and that his heart was failing at a quicker rate than doctors anticipated after being diagnosed with viral myocarditis.

Juhaim Rasul Choudhury as Davinder "Nugget" Gulati sat at a table with Navin Chowdhry as Nish Panesar in McKlunky's in EastEnders.
Will Nugget be persuaded by his grandfather Nish? BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

The doctor told Nish that unless he gets a heart transplant - which is very difficult to come by - he will die sooner rather than later.

As Nish was broken by the news that he was dying swiftly, the rest of the family looked shocked by the news, but Suki appeared subtly pleased by the shock.

Will the Panesars stay united in regards to Nish or will this news change everything?

As the week continues, it becomes clear that this is not the case as the birthday celebrations for Suki's soulmate Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) become dominated by talk of Nish.

Who will be willing to let Nish back into the family again and who will stand against him?

Read more:

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.

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Lewis KnightTrends Editor

Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.

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