‘The kiss of death’ moan EastEnders fans after bosses line up ‘boring and dull’ storyline for star
EASTENDERS fans have moaned about a 'boring' new storyline that they fear will be the 'kiss of death' for the actress at the centre of it.
Spoilers for upcoming episodes of the BBC soap have revealed that Anna Knight - played by Molly Rainford - will discover she is pregnant with boyfriend Bobby Beale's baby.
The revelation comes as Anna decides to ask Freddie Slater if everything is okay between them after he continues to avoid her, but she has a dizzy spell before she gets to him.
Later, Anna’s troubles are exacerbated when she goes to find Freddie and then throws up in the café before she can speak to him properly.
Gina quizzes Anna about whether she could be pregnant, before their mum Cindy almost catches Gina buying Anna a pregnancy test.
At The Vic, Anna takes the test and discovers she’s pregnant with Bobby’s baby.
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But the news of the upcoming storyline has not gone down well with EastEnders viewers, who have taken to Reddit to complain about it.
One wrote: "So now Anna is pregnant. Is it a “who is the father?’ story? Who cares?
"I have no interest in her ‘dramatic’ birth saga and a baby in the Vic that will disappear after a few months anyway.
"I really think pregnancy/baby storylines are the kiss of death for female characters, and are just dull dull dull."
They continued: "If anyone was to get pregnant, it would have been more interesting if it was Cindy - her last chance at being a good mum, an older mum, clearly not Ian’s & a short time frame to make a decision.
"A pregnancy with real consequence and possible character development."
Others agreed, with one writing: "Completely agree with motherhood sometimes being storyline death for women characters. All Stacey’s scenes ever are now are her rushing about in the kitchen squealing “KIDS GO TO SCHOOL” or “KIDS YOUR TEAS READY”
A third commented: "Agreed. Stop doing them please writers !!!!!!!!
"I get having babies is part of life. But I really think the show needs some comic relief characters."
EastEnders stars who've been on Strictly Come Dancing
Throughout its 20-year history, Strictly Come Dancing has welcomed several stars from BBC soap EastEnders. Here's a look at how some of them did over the years.
- Christopher Parker (Series One): Christopher played Alfie Moon's (Shane Richie) younger brother Spencer from 2002 to 2005. finished as runner-up in Strictly's first series.
- Jill Halfpenny (Series Two): Jill starred as Kate Mitchell in EastEnders from 2002 to 2005. She triumphed over Denise Lewis and Julian Clary to win the second series of Strictly.
- Louisa Lytton (Series Four): Known for her role as EastEnders' Ruby Allen, Louisa took part in Strictly's fourth series. She finished in fourth place.
- Letitia Dean (Series Five): Letitia, who debuted as Sharon Watts in the show's first episode, took to the Strictly dance floor in series five. She finished in fourth place.
- Matt Di Angelo (Series Five): Dean Wicks actor Matt also competed in series five of Strictly, finishing as runner-up behind Alesha Dixon.
- Gillian Taylforth (Series 6): Gillian, known for her long-running portrayal as Kathy Beale, took part in series 6. She ended up being the second person voted out.
- Jessie Wallace (Series 6): Kat Slater actress Jessie also competed in series 6, but was fourth voted out.
- Scott Maslen (Series 8): Scott, who plays Jack Branning, reached a respectable fourth place on Strictly.
- Kara Tointon (Series 8): Kara, who played Dawn Swann, won Strictly series 8 back in 2010.
- Jake Wood (Series 12): While his EastEnders character Max Branning was unlucky-in-love, actor Jake fared better with a fifth-place finish on Strictly.
- Kellie Bright (Series 13): Kellie - aka Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter - finished as the runner-up of series 13.
- Emma Barton (Series 17): Known for playing Honey Mitchell, Emma reached third place on Strictly in 2019.
- Maisie Smith (Series 18): Formerly playing Tiffany Butcher-Baker, actress Maisie was 2020's second-place Strictly finalist.
- Rose-Ayling Ellis (Series 19): Rose won over viewers' hearts when she soared to victory in 2021.
- Bobby Brazier (Series 21): Having joined the cast as 'Freddie Slater' in 2022, Bobby joined the 2023 Strictly line-up. He finished in third place.
- Jamie Borthwick (Series 22): Jamie, aka Jay Brown, won the 2023 Strictly Christmas Special - and has been signed up for the next full series.
Meanwhile a fourth shared: "It'll be a pregnancy scare. Like with Anna's previous crises, it'll play out purely as a plot device to show Bobby as aloof and flappable and Freddie as supportive and understanding.
"Meanwhile Freddie will be breaking every boundary with his alleged best mate's girlfriend and setting himself up to take over the moment Anna chucks Bob away."
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.