EastEnders' Jean and Harvey seal their engagement amid her worsening illness
He's hiding doubts, while she is denial over her mental health.
Jean Slater (Gillian Slater) was in a celebratory mood once again during tonight's EastEnders (12th April), as Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman) agreed to marry her.
This latest development comes during a troubling time for Jean, who has been showing signs of a relapse of her mental illness for quite some time.
Jean has continued to maintain that she is absolutely fine, while new beau Harvey has been oblivious due to his own problems. Harvey recently broke up with Jean after learning that she tried to seduce his pal Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) in the Vic toilets.
Meanwhile, Jean's daughter Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) has been worried for several weeks as her mother's behaviour has grown more and more erratic.
When Jean told young grandson Arthur exactly how his dad Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) was murdered by evil Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) at the tube station, Stacey was furious and the pair had a major bust-up. Jean promptly moved in with Harvey, announcing that Stacey was now dead to her.
But this hasn't stopped Stacey from intervening in her mum's life as she made a doctor's appointment behind her back. Jean was unimpressed by this, too preoccupied partying with a group of stags and spontaneously proposing to Harvey, despite their split.
Tonight, Harvey was seen mulling over Jean's question, while the woman herself celebrated with Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), confident that Harvey would say yes. But he was still struggling after being threatened and attacked by incarcerated son Aaron's (Charlie Wernham) racist pal Neil (Thomas Coombes).
When Harvey's daughter Dana (Barbara Smith) confided in Rocky that she was putting off going to university because of her dad, Rocky promised to keep quiet but ended up miming the truth to him.
With this news, as well as Shirley's encouragement that he should be with Jean, Harvey made a big decision after telling Dana not to delay her plans for him.
Read more: EastEnders' Jean makes startling declaration about Stacey
Jean later arrived at the flat to a surprise proposal, complete with rose petals as Harvey reaffirmed his love for her. Jean was thrilled to accept, while Harvey seemed to be harbouring doubts already judging by the look on his face.
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How will Stacey react when she finds out about her mum's sudden engagement? With Jean still adamant that she isn't unwell, she's unlikely to listen to her daughter's concerns. But will Harvey realise that Jean is in the midst of a manic episode?
Or will the couple's wedding go ahead before Jean can get the help she desperately needs?
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers, and catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV guide.
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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.