EastEnders spoilers tease fire horror for unconscious Lauren Branning and son Louie Beale
Lauren's addiction issues have big consequences.
Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) will unwittingly put herself, her young son Louie Beale and her unborn baby in danger in next week's EastEnders.
The character has been struggling for weeks with an addiction to painkillers, which began after she was left in chronic pain due to the crush at Peggy's bar.
Hiding her problems from partner Peter Beale (Thomas Law), those around Lauren have been concerned by her mood swings, and Lauren is also expecting her second child with Peter.
When Peter's scheming mum Cindy (Michelle Collins) blackmailed Lauren into covering up her involvement in Kojo Asare's (Dayo Koleosho) accident, Lauren began relying on Cindy to get her pills.
After she felt the baby kicking for the first time, she decided to stop taking the painkillers; and as she struggles with withdrawal, Lauren will refuse Cindy's offer of more pills.
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But when Lauren's symptoms worsen, an oblivious Peter rushes her to hospital. All is well with the baby, but during a private chat with the sonographer, Lauren learns that coming off the painkillers cold turkey could actually be dangerous for her unborn child.
Lauren asks Cindy for more pills after all, but then Louie finds the baby scan, and Cindy is horrified to realise that Lauren has been using while pregnant.
Cindy and Lauren have a vicious showdown, where Cindy orders Lauren to tell Peter the truth, or she will.
As Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) urges Peter to propose, George Knight (Colin Salmon) tells Lauren about Kojo's reluctance to talk about his accident.
Lauren tries to get Kojo to open up, hoping that he'll confirm Cindy is to blame and give Lauren leverage over her.
Later, Cindy reluctantly gives Lauren more pills; but at home alone with Louie, Lauren takes the tablets and falls unconscious!
A candle then falls and sets fire to the flat, but will Lauren and Louie be rescued in time?
EastEnders airs these scenes from Tuesday 17th December.
Read more:
- EastEnders Christmas and New Year spoilers: Your day-by-day guide as Cindy Beale's secrets explode
- EastEnders' Joe Swash reveals which soap legends he felt so lucky to work alongside
- EastEnders airs dangerous twist for Phil Mitchell in early iPlayer release
- EastEnders' Heather Peace promises New Year chaos at Suki and Eve's wedding
- EastEnders' Michelle Collins teases 'classic Christmas episode' as Cindy's affair is revealed
- EastEnders' Balvinder Sopal on Nish's New Year vendetta and "high-intensity wedding drama"
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday 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.
Authors
Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She's a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.
