5 EastEnders spoilers next week: Ben struggles to accept Lola's prognosis

Meanwhile, Stacey Slater's (Lacey Turner) camera work is exposed to her stunned loved ones, while Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) begins to feel differently about Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) now the dust has settled on all his lies. Also, Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) revisits the possibility that he might have ADHD.

Read on for all your EastEnders spoilers from 22nd - 25th May 2023.

5 EastEnders spoilers next week

1. Lola finds comfort as her condition grows weaker

Having been told the devastating news that her brain tumour has progressed further and she has only weeks to live, Lola arrives home from the hospital next week. Her husband, Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) and the rest of her family rally round to support her, with the locals also pitching in to help Jay. Although Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) snubs Sonia Fowler's (Natalie Cassidy) attempt to reach out, she later hands a distressed Jay Reverend Mills' phone number for extra support for Lola. Lola becomes very low as her speech becomes more and more slurred, and as the reality of her situation sets in, she refuses to see Janet and William.

Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) struggles over her own complicated emotions and confides her worries in Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), who helps out by giving Janet some space at Peggy's bar for her GCSE revision. Jay speaks to Phil and Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris), and eventually contacts Reverend Mills, who visits Lola to share her religious outlook on death. This proves to be a huge comfort to Lola, and later Jay, Denise (Diane Parish) and Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) arrange a special Ladies' Day for Lola, with Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) joining on covert video call. As everyone gathers for Lola, though, there's one person who can't bring himself to come to terms with what's happening...

2. Ben can't accept Lola's impending death

Troubled Ben doesn't agree with the decision for Lola to leave the hospital, and later lashes out at Billy and Honey for accepting Lola's prognosis too easily. Jay confronts Ben at The Arches, and their conversation leaves Ben even more furious. Phil speaks to Ben about his late mum, Peggy (Barbara Windsor), and implores his son to stop being so selfish. The family gather in Lola's bedroom, and a guilty Ben heads over to apologise for his behaviour, but later leaves a message for a Dr Washington, wanting help to ensure that Lola will make it to September.

He meets with the doctor to discuss a new treatment plan in America, before joining the Ladies' Day celebrations. But Ben makes a scene and leaves, as he's followed by husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay) and mum Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) who try to force Ben to accept the reality of Lola's situation. But will he listen?

3. Stacey's family learn her secret

After daughter Lily (Lillia Turner) refuses to go to school due to being bullied, Stacey takes her in and later arranges for Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) to come over for a sleepover. A furious Stacey talks to the headmaster about her concerns, and she's invited to join the parents' committee to help stamp out the bad behaviour. But Stacey's appearance at the school causes a commotion as a group of pupils have access to Stacey's Secret Cam page! An embarrassed Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) and Nugget Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) tell Amy, who reveals the truth to Lily.

Lily arrives home and exposes her mum's secret to the Slaters, leaving Stacey mortified as she struggles to face her family. Some wise words from Martin Fowler (James Bye) lead Stacey to head back to the committee, where she faces the judgemental parents. She shares some home truths at the meeting, but at home the tension mounts as Stacey's mum Jean (Gillian Wright) struggles to accept what she's been up to. Lily then announces she wants to quit school after being bullied over Stacey, and Stacey comes up with a plan. Will it work?

4. Chelsea's change of heart over Ravi

Ravi tries to win Chelsea back by befriending her friends Felix (Matthew Morrison) and Finlay Baker (Ashley Byam) and sharing business advice with them. Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) later tries to get Chelsea to make up with Finlay and Felix and Zack Hudson (James Farrar) as they take part in The Vic's quiz. Chelsea is distracted when she spots Ravi drinking alone, and a pep talk from Whit sees a glimmer of hope on the horizon for Ravi and Chelsea. Chelsea and mum Denise later put their row aside, but will Chelsea reunite with Ravi?

5. Freddie makes new decision

Freddie begins the week by getting a dream-team together for the pub quiz, seeking help from an unlikely source. Rivalry boils over between Freddie and Reiss Colwell's (Jonny Freeman) teams, but as the week continues, Freddie's former teacher, Mr Hawthorne, arrives with an ADHD referral card for him. Freddie refuses to listen, but an honest chat with pal Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) sees him finally agree to see a specialist, where it soon becomes clear that Freddie is showing a lot of tell-tale symptoms for ADHD. Will he get a diagnosis?

For information, help and support on matters associated with Lola's storyline, head to Macmillan Cancer Support or Brain Tumour Research.

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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.

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