EastEnders fans have watched Eve and Suki Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace and Balvinder Sopal) finally realise their long-standing dream of becoming parents together last week, after months of meetings, probing interviews and various challenges. Their adoption application was approved, and a case worker called to reveal a child in urgent need of a home, leaving the couple stunned at how quickly they had been placed.
Eve's secret attack on Nicola Mitchell
However, Eve was hiding a secret: she had whacked Suki's nemesis Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) after Nicola goaded her about Suki's previous parenting failures. The attack was captured on the club's CCTV, and Nicola has since been threatening to report Eve – who previously served time in prison for assault – to the police, placing her future as a foster parent in serious peril.
After Eve later told Suki the truth, the couple vowed to look forward as they welcomed a young girl called Ria into their home. But recent scenes have shown them both failing to connect with the youngster.
Breakthrough for Suki, disheartening for Eve
They have been determined to make things work with Ria, and next week, Suki finally has a breakthrough as they start to bond. However, it is disheartening for first-time mum Eve as she watches Ria gravitate towards Suki while she is still not able to form a connection with her.
Eve is also all too aware that Nicola could snatch away her future happiness at any given moment with the footage of her attack – unless she and Suki do everything Nicola says. With the threat clearly hanging over Eve's new journey into motherhood, will Nicola's blackmail destroy everything they have worked for, or will Eve find a way to put her troubles behind her and embrace family life with Ria?
EastEnders airs these scenes
EastEnders airs these scenes from Monday 6th July at 7.30pm on BBC One, or stream first from 6am on iPlayer.
