Lauren Branning was in EastEnders from 2006 until 2018.
But tonight (Monday, December 12) she returns to Walford for Dot’s funeral.
Is Lauren back for good?
Who is Lauren Branning in EastEnders?
Lauren is the daughter of Max and Tanya Branning.
She is the half-sister of Bradley Branning, who died in 2010.
Lauren has two younger full siblings, Abi and Oscar and also has a younger half-sister, Annie.
Annie is the daughter of Max and Linda Carter.
She is also the mother of her son Louie and the aunt of Abi’s daughter Abi Branning Jr.
The character has been played by two different actresses. Lauren was first played by Madeline Duggan from 2006 until 2010.
In 2010 Lauren left to go to America and when she returned a few months later, Jacqueline Jossa had taken over the role.
Lauren Branning and Peter Beale
Lauren and Peter met shortly after she moved to Walford in 2006. They became romantically involved but Max didn’t approve of their relationship.
They were on and off throughout their teenage years but in 2010 Peter moved to Devon to live with his twin Lucy and their maternal grandmother Bev Williams.
In 2013 Peter returned and he and Lauren reunited. Their relationship continued to be on and off over the years.
In 2014, Peter and Lauren were both devastated when Lucy was found dead. It was later revealed Peter and Lucy’s young brother Bobby killed her.
In 2015, Lauren discovered she was pregnant with Peter’s baby and the pair of them moved to New Zealand together.
But Lauren soon came back as Max was on trial for the murder of Lucy. In September 2015 she gave birth to a son, who she called Louie.
She returned to New Zealand again but when Lauren returned to Walford in 2016 with Louie, she was now dating Peter’s brother Steven.
Why did Lauren Branning leave Walford?
Abi and Steven began an affair and when she learnt he was lying about having a brain tumour so Lauren couldn’t leave him, Abi gave him medication which would make him appear ill.
Soon Abi fell pregnant with Steven’s baby. But he ended up dying after being injured by Max in the fire at Ian’s restaurant.
Lauren was hurt when she found out Steven had been lying about his brain tumour. But she was even more shocked to find out Steven and Abi had been having an affair.
Lauren found out Abi was having Steven’s baby and although she was hurt, she eventually started to support her sister.
In 2018, Tanya returned to Walford to take Abi and Lauren away revealing that Max was responsible for Steven’s injuries and that he tried to kill Jane.
The two girls were furious with their dad. But when he went to the roof of The Queen Vic, planning to jump off, Abi and Lauren tried to stop him.
Lauren ended up slipping and Abi grabbed her to try and save her. But she ended up falling too.
Lauren sustained injuries to her leg but Abi was later declared brain stem dead.
Shortly after her baby was delivered, her family made the decision to turn off Abi’s life support machine.
After Abi’s funeral, Lauren left Walford and eventually went back to New Zealand where she reconciled with Peter.
Peter returned to Walford in 2020 and revealed he had split from Lauren again.
Is she coming back for good?
Earlier this year actress June Brown, who played Dot Cotton, also known as Dot Branning, died.
As it was announced that Dot would die off-screen, EastEnders confirmed six past characters would return for her funeral, including Lauren.
Speaking about her return Jacqueline said: “Coming back to EastEnders for Dot’s funeral was a no brainer, and it was a real honour to be invited back. I had a lot of fun but, of course, it was bittersweet.
“It was amazing to be back, but hard to be filming this storyline. I can tell the viewers that now Dot gets the beautiful send off that she deserves.
“June was the light and joy of EastEnders. I had so much fun working with her, the incredible stories and how infectious and witty she was. June is a legend and I miss her very much.”
Lauren will return to Walford after nearly five years away tonight.
However it seems her return is only temporary.
Read more: EastEnders in 2022 – who’s leaving and who’s coming back to Walford?
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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