Will Stacey kidnap Arthur in EastEnders custody battle with Kush?
Slaters go to war over tug of love for Stacey and Kush's son
EastEnders' Slater clan are thrown into chaos when Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner) learns that Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) plans to fight for joint custody of their son Arthur – and that her cousin Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) already knew.
Viewers have seen Kush confide in new lover Kat that he wants to spend more time with the three-year-old, a result of a one-night stand between Stace and her husband Martin Fowler's best mate Kush, causing Kat to panic about her relative's reaction.
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Up until now access to Arthur has not really been an issue for the trio, but relations are severely strained between Kush and Martin after the situation with Martin's troubled daughter Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield) and her crush on the Kazemi cutie. With this in mind, on Monday 3rd June Kat and Stacey discuss how to get the fellas to reconcile.
During their chat, Kat lets slip about Kush wanting to alter his access to Arthur and seek increased custody and Stacey goes predictably apoplectic. Publicly confronting her baby daddy on the market, with Martin in earshot, Stacey lays into Kush for sneakily plotting to get legal rights over their child without consulting her first.
The showdown immediately draws battle lines as Kat feels she has no choice but to support Kush, much to Stacey and Martin's horror who are stunned she is betraying her family. In true Slater style, the ladies lay into each other and by the end of the argument they are no longer on speaking terms with Stacey cutting Kat out of her life.
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It's understandably awkward as the girls still have to live and work alongside each other, and Martin must continue to run the stall next to Kush despite declaring their friendship is over.
Neither side show signs of backing down, but there may be a clue as to where this emotional storyline could go next – Turner is soon to go on maternity leave following news she is expecting her first child with husband Matt Kay in July, so Stacey needs a juicy exit plot to temporarily write her out.
Desperate to keep Arthur close, could Stacey go to drastic lengths and flee Walford with her little one and go into hiding to keep Kush from getting custody? Or can the co-parents find a way to resolve their animosity?
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