EastEnders' Janine makes return to drop life-changing bombshell on Linda

EastEnders’ Linda Carter heads for a tense showdown with arch-enemy Janine Butcher next week – but nothing can prepare her for what she has to say!

Now Linda knows that her son Lee’s excessive drinking is a consequence of her beloved Mick’s disappearance, Linda is desperate to help – and then a curious phone call changes everything.

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Upon hearing what the caller has to say, Linda is forced to go to Janine for answers. Is she prepared for what Mick’s ‘widow’ is planning to unleash?

"In true Janine style, this is an encounter that leaves Linda reeling," shares our Walford insider. "Janine has plenty to say, and Linda isn’t remotely ready for it.

"In fact, Janine’s words are so shocking that Linda refuses to believe them. However, she can’t dismiss them entirely and soon she confronts Janine, with Max in tow, to demand the truth."

All the Carters were heartbroken after losing Mick, but Linda has only just discovered how much Lee is suffering. His heavy drinking has already cost him his relationship, and Linda is shocked to know he also revoked Mick’s death certificate because he couldn’t bear to give up hope that his dad is out there somewhere.

However, Linda is in for another nasty surprise when she picks up Lee’s phone while he’s sleeping off a hangover.

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"The call that comes through is truly shocking – and Linda struggles with what she’s hearing," reveals our source. "Sharon and Elaine try to support her, but this cuts deep. Worse still, Lee makes a scene in The Vic and Linda has to step in to sort it all out. At the end of her tether, she decides only Janine holds the answers she needs."

Throughout the hellish week, Linda turns to Elaine, Sharon and Phil for support. Meanwhile, Max is determined to prove that he can be the man she needs in a crisis, and he has experience of coping with a child with a drinking problem.

However, when it comes to Janine, even a slick operator like Max is going to struggle. So when he accompanies Linda on that second visit to Janine, Max makes a decision that may haunt him.

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"Max always acts on instinct, and Janine knows how to play people like cheap fiddles, so it’s a dangerous combination," says our insider.

"Max tells himself a lot of stories to justify the decisions that he makes, but often his manoeuvres are unforgivable. There’s no doubt that the decision he makes this week may cost him in the future."

As Linda steels herself to fess up to Nancy, Lee and Johnny about what she’s learned from Janine, will this be the last they hear from her?

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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