EastEnders spoilers for next week tease a bust up between Sharon and Zoe, the devastating effects the return of one villain causes and bad news for Ian amid his trial
06:12, 07 Jul 2026Updated 06:12, 07 Jul 2026
Spoilers for next week on EastEnders reveal huge drama amid returns, confrontations and huge bombshells. As one Walford resident comes face to face with an old enemy, she can't resist chewing her out, while the return of a major villain leaves many struggling.
Kicking things off, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) will be in no mood for forgiveness when she sees Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) again. Having returned to sell her half of the Boxing Den, she wastes no time in heading to The Vic to confront Zoe, who lied about Sharon's dead husband being the father of her children.
It's not long before twins Jasmine (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) and Josh (Joshua Vaughn) come to their mum's defence. Zoe tries to apologise to Sharon, but she's having none of it.
It seems Zoe isn't the only one Sharon is back to see though, as her sister Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) returns from her honeymoon - only to find her stepson Joel Marshall (Max Murray) has turned up too. The villain, who previously left Vicki for dead after brutally attacking her, has come back with his mum Cleo, who doesn't want him around either.
Vicki flees to the cafe, where Sharon comes to comfort her. Things only get worse when Joel's other victim Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) and her friend Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) turn up to berate Vicki for allowing Joel back.
Meanwhile, Vicki's brother Mark Fowler (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) has been getting closer to Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) amid their dodgy cars deal. He's even confessed his feelings for her. But when he turns up to a family BBQ this week, Lauren panics.
She panics again when she gets a call from Mark, begging her to meet him as one of their car deals had gone wrong. When she learns that he had been lying to test her, she's furious.
Her father-in-law is also facing a tough time. After his lawyer tells him to plead guilty, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) seeks advice from his family. He also pleads with Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) to change her brutal statement about him, but her mum Denise (Diane Parish) has a few harsh words for him.
Denise is welcomed home next week, having spent some time in hospital, receiving treatment to fight her cancer. Unbeknownst to her family, Denise has been told that she didn't respond to chemo in the way her doctors hoped and that she will need to try again.
Struggling to keep the secret from her family, Denise heads back to hospital, where she receives the devastating news that the friend she made in hospital has died. Things go from bad to worse when she returns to the Square to see her grandson Jordan (Jahsaiah Williams) playing with Sheila (Sheila Ruskin) - the grandmother of Jordan's serial killer dad.
She berates her family for allowing Sheila into their lives. When Sheila turns up again, Denise decides to interrogate her on her motives. Amid this, Denise finally tells her husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) the truth about her treatment, but forbids him from telling anyone else.
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