TODAY’S BIG STORY!!! Broken EastEnders fans ‘not ready’ for tragic Denise story
Denise Fox (Diane Parish) has faced some hellish times during her twenty year tenure in EastEnders.
Abusive relationships, the tragic death of her beloved fiancé, engaged to a serial killer who imprisoned her and faked her death, poverty and starvation, a love triangle, being involved in a murder and the resulting psychosis…our Denise has run the full gauntlet of soap suffering, but her upcoming battle could prove to be her most challenging yet.
Yesterdays trip to Walford saw her diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a fast-growing and aggressive type of blood cancer, after she’d previously begun to display worrying symptoms and extreme exhaustion.
As the other residents of Albert Square bore witness to the drama that was Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) and Vicki Fowler’s (Alice Haig) wedding, Denise sat alone in a doctors office as a consultant imparted the earth-shattering news to her.
A slew of ‘Enders viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) after the plot twist to share their thoughts and feelings.
Fans beg to ‘protect’ Denise ‘at all costs’
Must be talking to an angel playing in the back of a Denise scene is such a bad omen
don’t take our Denise! #eastenders
An expert weighs in on the story
The CEO of Blood Cancer UK, Helen Rowntree spoke out on the importance of Denise’s story.
‘It’s been a privilege advising the EastEnders team at the BBC to ensure Denise’s storyline reflects the real experiences of people living with blood cancer and those who care for them.
‘Blood cancers, which include leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, do not discriminate yet experiences and outcomes can vary significantly, including by ethnicity.
‘Being Black and living with an aggressive blood cancer like acute myeloid leukaemia can bring additional challenges.
‘We hope viewers gain a greater understanding of blood cancer’s impact and we’re pleased this issue is being highlighted on a powerful platform, helping make a ‘hidden’ cancer more visible.’
The ‘night that changes everything’
Next week sees Denise struggle to digest the information she’s received. Returning to her salon, Fox & Hair, she’s confronted by Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) who’s noticed her absence.
Unable to control herself, Denise breaks down over her diagnosis and as she reveals all to Yolande, they head home to talk properly.
As the consultant calls Denise to return to the hospital immediately to begin treatment, she’s distracted when tragedy befalls her daughter, Chelsea (Zaraah Abrahams).