EastEnders reveals Amy's shocking disappearance as Craig story escalates

EastEnders’ Jack Branning receives shocking news next week, when his daughter Amy Mitchell does a disappearing act and runs away with Craig Ingram! The devastated dad discovers the teenager has gone missing when Oscar reveals he saw Amy getting ready to leave the Square with Jack’s former colleague.

Jack races to find Amy, hoping to stop her, but arrives as they speed off. In his desperation, Jack turns to his colleagues in the force to bring Amy home…

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"It’s a horrendous situation because Jack had no idea that Craig had inveigled his way into Amy’s life," explains our Walford insider. "He’s been concerned by her behaviour but thought that the stress of Denise’s illness was the catalyst.

"Now he realises Craig has manipulated and groomed her right under his nose! All he wants is to bring her home and back to the safety of their family."

The unfolding situation is so stressful that Jack decides to shield Denise from what’s going on. He’s worried the news about Amy could upset her so much that it’ll further compromise her health.

Instead, he leans on his brother Max for support, and the duo break into Craig’s flat to look for clues about where Amy has fled. Max is driven by his own reasons for wanting to find Amy, and he feels awful for Jack, who is worried sick.

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However, while Max continues to search for Amy, Jack’s efforts to protect Denise fail as she finally discovers Amy has run away with Craig…

"There’s no way that Jack can pull the wool over Denise’s eyes – and she is determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on!" shares our source. "In the end, it’s Darnell who tells her that Amy is missing, and Jack is forced to share the full story about Craig. Denise can’t believe what she’s hearing and is plunged into despair."

Now the whole family knows, Jack turns his attention back to finding Amy. But it’s no easy feat, given that Craig is a seasoned professional who has covered his tracks.

For Jack, it’s a nightmare as he considers what could happen to Amy if they don’t find her soon, especially since Craig has her under his spell. But when Jack notices an unexpected arrival in Walford, things take a new turn…

EastEnders has been working on Amy's grooming storyline with support from Barnardo's and End Violence Against Women, with support and information available via their websites.

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.