EastEnders spoilers follow from Tuesday's episode (26 May), which is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer but hasn't aired on BBC One yet.

EastEnders has aired a second surprise return for the show's dramatic wedding week – and it's one that viewers have been waiting for.

Letitia Dean has reprised her role as fan favourite Sharon Watts, several months on from her last appearance on the BBC soap.

sharon watts, eastenders
BBC

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Sharon made an unannounced comeback with her young son Albie in Tuesday's episode, which is streaming early now on iPlayer.

She arrived back in town as a surprise for her half-sister Vicki, who's due to marry Ross Marshall this week.

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Vicki had previously mentioned that she expected Sharon to miss the ceremony, as Sharon has been staying in Florida since last year and it was too long a journey. But as Sharon says herself in the latest episode, the lure of the wedding was impossible to resist…

Sharon made an abrupt departure in October last year, taking time out from Albert Square following Zoe Slater's devastating lies about the paternity of her son.

Show bosses kept quiet about her return this week, wanting to give viewers an element of surprise.

vicki fowler, eastenders
BBC

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Even when Alice Haig, who plays Vicki, was recently asked about the possibility of seeing Sharon back for the ceremony, she would only tease: "Wouldn't that be lovely! Vicki is going to need all the family she can get.

"Kathy really steps up this week. She's there before it starts. On the morning of the wedding, she is sorting the marquee, organising the flowers, she's got her clipboard, she's ready and providing a lot of support for Vicki. She's got Mark as well. They're a tight-knit family group. Ian is around helping out a bit. Everyone has rallied round to make this wedding happen."

Shona McGarty has also made a surprise guest return to the role of Whitney Dean this week following two years away from Albert Square.

It seems to be a busy week for cast updates, with Grant and Sam Mitchell also bowing out in today's episode.

Ross Kemp and Kim Medcalf were both back in the soap for guest stints and their characters were seen leaving together for Portugal in the latest scenes.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage


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