EastEnders’ Lola Pearce reveals her last wish is to be reunited with her estranged mother in the upcoming scenes of the BBC soap.
The character, played by Danielle Harold, is currently dying of an inoperable brain tumor – and medics insist there is nothing more they can do for her.
Lola’s dream comes as Patsy Kensit prepares to make her EastEnders debut as her long-lost mother, Emma Harding.
Last wish: EastEnders’ Lola Pearce reveals her last wish is to be reunited with her estranged mother in the upcoming scenes of the BBC soap
With little time left, Lola sets out to make the best of life and continues to plan her wedding to Jay Brown after getting romantically engaged last year for Christmas.
She asks Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) to be her maid of honor, who happily accepts and begins planning Lola an epic hen party with a huge guest list.
However, when Kim accidentally touches a nerve by asking about Lola’s mother, it causes her to consider reconnecting with her parents while she is dying.
Later, speaking to her fiancé Jay (Jamie Borthwick), Lola shares her desire to meet up with her mother, but Jay hesitates at the idea.
Incoming: Lola’s dream comes as Patsy Kensit prepares to make her EastEnders debut as her long-lost mother, Emma Harding
While Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) comes to terms with the funeral director, she advises Lola to take things slow.
But since Lola’s daughter Lexi asked her questions about her grandmother that she couldn’t answer, she’s more determined than ever to find her mother.
And while Lola’s grandfather, Billy Mitchell, is wondering what to get her as a wedding gift, she thinks of the perfect gift…
Moving on: With limited time, Lola is making the most of her life and planning her wedding to Jay Brown after their romantic Christmas engagement last year
Exciting: She asks Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) to be her maid of honor, who happily accepts and begins planning an epic hen party for Lola with a huge guest list
Patsy Kensit is gearing up to make her debut as Lola’s mom in the upcoming episodes.
Her character Emma has never appeared on the soap before, having left Lola and her father when their daughter was just three years old.
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw said of the signing: “We are delighted to welcome the wonderfully talented Patsy to the EastEnders family. She’s a perfect fit to take on the role of such a long-awaited character that we know very little about.
“Emma is soft-spoken and measured, on the one hand, the polar opposite of her long-lost daughter, Lola.
Thoughts: However, when Kim accidentally touches a nerve by asking about Lola’s mother, it causes her to consider reconnecting with her parents while she is dying
Hesitation: Later, Lola talks to her fiancé Jay about her desire to meet her mother, but Jay hesitates at the idea
Determined: But after Lola’s daughter Lexi asked her questions about her grandmother that she couldn’t answer, she’s more determined than ever to find her mother
“But on the other hand, there is a striking resemblance; successful, the ability to assert herself – if she says she’ll do something, she will – and she’s a fighter, just like Lola.”
Meanwhile, Danielle Harold recently opened up about Lola’s decision to reach out to her mom.
She told the press: “Lola thinks long and hard about her decision and after talking to Lexi, decides that she wants to look for her mother.
Newcomer: “She fits perfectly into the role of such a long-awaited character that we know very little about. Softly spoken and measured, Emma is, on the one hand, the polar opposite of her long-lost daughter, Lola.
“I think she’s drawing on her own experience as a mother, and she doesn’t want her daughter to be left with the same unanswered questions she has, either.
“After deciding that she wants to check, she goes to Sharon and asks her advice to see if there’s a way to track her down. It’s all those little things that really make her make that decision.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Danielle Harold says, “I think she draws from her own experience as a mother, and she doesn’t want her daughter to be left with the same unanswered questions that she has, either.”