What is EastEnders' Theo Hawthorne really up to with the Slaters?

Yes, it turns out that Theo is in fact the Secret Cam client who has been paying Stacey for online sessions, in which the single mum dresses up in fancy lingerie to make a living.

Theo first appeared as the former schoolteacher of Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier). After being confronted by Freddie for mistreating him in lessons, Theo helped Freddie obtain an official diagnosis of ADHD. But of late, it's been Stacey Slater's (Lacey Turner) pregnant daughter Lily (Lillia Turner) who has taken a shine to Theo.

When Theo went on to buy Lily the trainers that Stacey couldn't afford, Stacey was not happy. But Theo handed them back to Lily, before suggesting that if he put them in the bin and Lily retrieved them, her mum couldn't be cross about it.

After speaking to friends, Lily asked Theo outright if he was a pervert, and he laughed, claiming that if he was a random man, his gift to her might be strange - adding that he wasn't exactly a stranger as he knew Freddie, Jean and Stacey. He also suggested that Lily's friends were simply jealous, dismissing her worries entirely.

But when Amy told Stacey that Lily had accepted trainers from an older man, Stacey confronted her about Theo's gift again. Lily explained that she had thrown the shoes away rather than risk her reaction, then told her mum that she had been rude to Theo. So Stacey came to accept that Theo was really just a kind man who wanted to help. But it's been clear since then that Theo is rather obsessed with the Slaters.

Fans now have the answers they need over the character, of course, after Martin Fowler (James Bye) confronted him after seeking answers at Theo's old place of work. While Stacey backed Theo up, we later saw him messaging Stacey on Secret Cam!

But you may recall that, last month, while we waited to hear what Theo's agenda was, we came up with some plausible theories below - with some being darker than others! Did you guess correctly?

EastEnders' Theo Hawthorne early theories

Innocent helper

Was Theo merely sticking around to help Freddie and the entire Slater clan? This was always the most unlikely theory!

Predator

Could concerns that Theo is a predator still be accurate? His words to Lily when she questioned him weren't as reassuring to us as they seemed to be for her.

Yet, with EastEnders already busy with a pre-teen pregnancy storyline for Lily, which has seen star Lillia Turner pick up a well-deserved award for Best Young Performer at the British Soap Awards, would the show go down the dark path of a grooming story?

Long lost family member

Another option was that Theo has some other secret connection to the family, for example, as a relative they wouldn't recognise for some reason.

Well, if you guessed right, well done to you! But there's clearly more to come as Theo continues to worm his way into Stacey's family. Is Theo's obsession dangerous?

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EastEnders traditionally airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer, although it is currently airing on BBC Two due to Wimbledon schedule changes. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.

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