Just when it looks like things might be going right for Lauren at last, Ian Beale is set to crush her plans for a new life with Josh in tonight’s EastEnders.
After Lauren and Josh spend the night together, things look hopeful for the pair until Josh gets a phone call offering him a job in Glasgow.
Upset at the prospect of leaving Lauren behind, Josh is in two minds – until she agrees to go with him.
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After Max’s betrayal, Steven’s death and her fall out with Abi, it’s not like Lauren has a lot left for her in Albert Square and she relishes the thought of a new start.
But when she goes off to spread the good news, she doesn’t quite get the reaction she was hoping for.
The first person Lauren tells is Abi – but she’s not fussed about her sibling moving away, probably glad to have some time apart.
After Abi’s lacklustre response, Lauren makes the decision not to tell Ian until after Christmas.
With the year he’s had, she wants him to enjoy the festive break as best he can and promises Josh she will tell him in the new year.
But as the pair are celebrating their glittering future together, Ian walks in and catches them kissing – revealing their romance more dramatically than they’d intended.
Ian’s devastated that Lauren’s loyalties lie with someone so closely connected to James Willmot-Brown – the man who raped Kathy.
We all know that Josh isn’t like the rest of his family – but when Lauren tries to explain that to Ian, it falls on deaf ears.
Convinced that Lauren’s new boyfriend is just like the rest of his family, Ian’s fuming that Lauren could get involved with him – can she convince him to give Josh a chance?
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With Lauren leaving at Christmas, this could well be a clue about her departure from the Square. But will she really just jump in a car to Scotland with Josh, or is this a red herring, covering up the real way she’ll really leave?