Pregnant Lily Slater is set to make a decision about motherhood in scenes airing on EastEnders next week.
Upcoming episodes of the series will reveal that stepfather Martin Fowler (James Bye) is worried about Lily’s future and is trying to convince Stacey (Lacey Turner) that she should terminate her pregnancy.
But Stacey tells him that Lily has the right to choose what she does with her own body, causing friction between them and seeing him yell at his stepdaughter.
Mother to be? : Pregnant Lily Slater is set to make a decision about motherhood in scenes to air on EastEnders next week (pictured: Martin, Lily and Stacey on the show)
After talking to Whitney (Shona McGarty), who is the unborn baby’s aunt but doesn’t know about it, Lily finally comes home and tells Stacey and Martin that she has decided what to do.
It comes after her mother, Stacey, was warned this week that Lily will have to reveal the identity of the baby’s father or deal with social services, reports Digital Spy.
Authorities came by and found it to be a boy from school (Ricky Jr.), but they were promptly asked by Stacey to leave.
This was because the mother saw the turmoil her daughter was in, who didn’t want anyone to know the full details.
Anxiety: Lily (pictured on the show) will announce to her family that next week she made a decision on whether or not to have her baby after speaking to Whitney
Lily also argued with Martin this week as he assumed she was going to have an abortion, but she told him she wanted to keep the baby.
The BBC soap got off to an explosive start on New Year’s Day 2023, when Lily’s mum Stacey was left stunned when a doctor discovered her baby girl was pregnant after she rushed to the hospital amid the carbon dioxide leak.
And despite fans speculating who the father-to-be might be, EastEnders finally confirmed it’s Ricky Jr.
Lily also discovered she was pregnant and mum Stacey broke down in tears as she broke the news.
Who is it? EastEnders revealed that Ricky Jr. (Frankie Day) was the father of Lily’s baby (pictured on screen)
While the young woman was alarmed to find out she was pregnant, she initially refused to reveal the father’s identity, leading a concerned Stacey to fear she had been nursed by an adult.
In scenes towards the end of an episode, Stacey was at her wits’ end when she begged her daughter to tell the truth.
Stacey said, “Please darling, at least I know you weren’t abused and nursed by a pervert!”
Shock: The BBC soap got off to an explosive start on New Year’s Day 2023 when Lily’s mum Stacey (pictured) was left stunned when a doctor revealed her little girl was pregnant
While Lily remained silent, Stacey enlisted the help of her mother Jean (Gillian Wright) to convince Lily to do the right thing and put her out of her misery.
Jean sat down next to her granddaughter and said to her: “You know darling, we love you very much and I’m going to tell you a secret.
“Your mother loves you more than anything in the whole world, and as much as you want it, and we all want it, that’s not going to go away.
“You know that, you’re not a child, on your face I think you’re more grown up than me sometimes, so please reassure your mother.”
Eventually, Lily opened up to her concerned family, then remarked, “He’s not my boyfriend. We only did it once.’
The youngster then further confirmed that the father is Ricky Junior – the 12-year-old son of Sam Mitchell and Jack Branning.
Help: While Lily remained silent, Stacey asked her mother Jean (Gillian Wright) for help in convincing Lily to do the right thing (pictured: Jean and Stacey).
However, Lily urged Jean and Stacey not to tell him, warning them “He can never find out!”
Amidst the compelling new storyline, actress Lacey Turner, 34, spoke about her daughter’s on-screen plight and her character’s shock at the thought of her daughter becoming a mother at such a young age.
She told the press: “Stacey is absolutely shocked. They talk about their 12-year-old daughter, who has no boyfriend and, as far as Stacey knows, doesn’t really like boys.
Revealed: The youngster then confirms the dad is Ricky Junior (left of screen) – the 12-year-old son of Sam Mitchell and Jack Branning
“At first, Stacey thinks the doctors must be wrong. After that, she goes through every single emotion one could possibly feel in such a short amount of time.
Lacey went on to say how Stacey initially kept the news from Lily’s adoptive father, Martin Fowler (James Bye), but she confided in her mother Jean (Gillian Wright).
She added: “Stacey steps on eggshells. She needs to find out from Lily how this happened, who the father is and all the details. But to do that, she needs to build trust with Lily, and if her daughter wants it kept a secret, Stacey will keep it a secret.
“Jean is Stacey’s rock, her best friend and they have such a strong bond. Stacey and Jean have been through so much together, and Jean is the only person who can truly understand Stacey inside and out.”
The actress continued, “Having Stacey share this secret with her mother is a huge burden off her shoulders, but she also wants someone to tell her what to do.
“In Stacey’s head, she’s like, ‘Do I just do what Lily wants? Am I supposed to be angry? Should I tell Lily she can’t keep the baby?” Stacey only turns to Jean for help. She wants someone to say to her, “Stacey, that’s what you do.”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Stunned: Lacey (pictured in EastEnders) went on to say that Stacey initially withheld the news from Lily’s adoptive father Martin Fowler (James Bye).