Watch shocking moment EastEnders Lauren Branning makes huge mistake that sparks deadly house fire
LAUREN Branning’s painkiller addiction spiraled out of control in EastEnders as a life-threatening situation unfolded.
Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) and young son Louie Beale (Jake McNally) were left in serious danger in Thursday’s episode of EastEnders.
Lauren was warned that quitting painkillers cold turkey could harm her unborn baby.
So she begged Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) for more pills.
But Cindy refused after finding out she is pregnant and threatened to tell her boyfriend Peter Beale (Thomas Law) about her new addiction.
With Cindy piling on the pressure, Lauren found herself in desperate need of leverage.
She already knew Cindy was keeping secrets about Kojo Asare’s (Dayo Koleosho) accident, leaving her determined to uncover the truth and turn the tables.
At The Queen Vic, Lauren pressed Kojo about his injuries, but he hesitated, revealing Cindy suggested he might need to leave Walford.
Learning of their interaction, Cindy had Junior Knight (Micah Balfour) interrupt just as Kojo neared revealing the truth.
Cindy dismissed Lauren’s concerns about Kojo, focusing instead on Lauren’s baby.
In exchange for silence, Cindy reluctantly provided Lauren with painkillers.
And Lauren added that the doctor had told her it was too risky to stop taking painkillers.
But back home, Lauren dozed off after taking a pill, unaware she knocked over candle, sparking a fire.
Will she and Louie be rescued in time?
Meanwhile, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) urged an oblivious Peter to prove his commitment to Lauren by proposing. Will Peter act on his dad’s advice?
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and is available to stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
Lauren Branning's biggest EastEnders storylines
Since debuting in 2006, Lauren Branning’s had her fair share of drama in Albert Square.
She’s been played by two actresses – originally Madeline Duggan and then Jacqueline Jossa from 2010 onwards.
Let’s take a look back at some of Lauren’s biggest EastEnders storylines.
- Who ran over Max?: Early on in Lauren’s tenure, the soap had a whodunnit which saw Max (Jake Wood) run over by an unknown driver. It was later revealed that Lauren, his daughter, was the culprit.
- Friendships with Lucy Beale and Whitney Dean: Throughout her teenage years, Lauren developed close friendships with both Lucy and Whitney. Both bonds would have ramifications for her later life. She had a son with Lucy’s twin brother Peter and also had an affair with Zack (James Farrar) – Whitney’s fiancee – prompting her to leave the Square for good.
- Alcoholism: Lauren began binge drinking to cope with stress from her mum Tanya (Jo Joyner) battling cancer. This later expanded into a long-term addiction storyline.
- Relationship with Joey Branning: In 2012, Lauren embarked on one of her more controversial storylines – a sexual relationship with Joey Branning (David Witts), her first cousin.