Lola Pearce-Brown's (Danielle Harold) funeral gave way to a moving celebration of the popular character's life in tonight's EastEnders (27th June).

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Last month, Lola passed away after battling a brain tumour, with daughter Lexi (Isabella Brown) and husband Jay (Jamie Borthwick) nearby.

The family have struggled to cope without Lola as their anchor, and her grandfather Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) spiralled as he prepared for her final farewell.

Tonight, Honey (Emma Barton) panicked when she realised that Billy had gone missing ahead of the service, but Phil (Steve McFadden) guessed that he would find him at late nephew Jamie's (Jack Ryder) grave.

Phil and Jay reached Billy's side, and listened as he talked about the ways in which he had let Jamie down, as well as Lola and Jay. But as Jay reminded Billy that he had given Lola a home, he urged Billy to join them.

Meanwhile, in the Square, the locals broke into poignant applause as Lola's hearse made its way through the market. At the church, Billy, Jay and Phil finally arrived, where Honey was on hand with her partner's jacket.

Isabella Brown as Lexi Pearce in EastEnders, standing at a lectern
Isabella Brown as Lexi Pearce in EastEnders. BBC

As Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) reminded people to smile for Lola, Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Zack Hudson (James Farrar) were amazed when two of Lola's vlog viewers appeared, with one woman explaining that Lola's commitment to raising awareness for brain tumours had actually saved her life.

Honey was also touched when home care nurse Suzanne arrived to pay her respects.

As Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay), Phil, Jay and Billy carried Lola's coffin into the church, She's So Lovely by Scouting For Girls played in the background - an idea of Lexi's.

As the service got underway, Lola's estranged mother, Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit), turned up with a huge arrangement of flowers. But when Honey furtively urged her to join the congregation, Emma put the flowers down and rushed away.

Then Jay stood up to speak, speaking of his pain at the loss of his wife and insisting that everyone should embrace the love in their lives as much as he had with Lola, as he promised she would always be in his heart.

Next, Lexi read from a school project, 'My Hero is My Mum,' telling the crowd that, "When I listen to my heart, I can hear hers beating." Lexi then played a special video, quoting Lola's words: "Don't be sad, there's not enough time."

There were smiles mixed with tears as clips of Lola with Lexi, Ben, Callum and Jay were shown on the screen, before Billy gave his own heartfelt speech about how Lola had brought love to his life. Lola's coffin was then committed to the sound of her wedding song.

Back in Walford, Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) shared some kind words with Lexi about still talking to Lola in her head, and the locals enjoyed a barbeque on the Square in honour of Lola's wishes.

While Lexi danced with dads Ben and Callum, her dad number three, Jay, headed home to record a final vlog on Lola's behalf, wishing her followers all the best.

Billy pledged his support to Jay, leaving him alone with a video with instructions from Lexi to watch until the end.

Jay watched as a clip appeared of Lola, questioned by Lexi on how she knew Jay was her soulmate. Lola described just how wonderful Jay was, and Jay smiled at the sound of Lola's voice, before reality set in once more and he broke down, sobbing over the thought of never seeing her again.

How can Jay move on as he grieves for Lola - and is that the last we've seen of her mum Emma?

For information, help and support on matters associated with this 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. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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Authors

Laura Denby
Laura DenbyFreelance Writer

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.

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