EastEnders spoilers follow for Monday’s episode (1 June), which is available to watch now on streaming service BBC iPlayer and hasn’t yet aired on TV.
EastEnders kicks off its 'Night That Changes Everything' storyline tonight, as Denise Fox reveals her devastating diagnosis to Yolande Trueman. In heartbreaking scenes, Denise explains that she has acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an aggressive form of blood cancer, and worries about the impact on her loved ones.
The episode picks up from Thursday's cliffhanger which saw Denise being given the news by her doctor. While the rest of the Square celebrates Vicki Fowler and Ross Marshall's wedding, Denise struggles to come to terms with the life-changing information.
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"To put it simply, your bone marrow is producing unregulated white blood cells, which we call 'blasts'. They can't fight infection and they are crowding out your healthy blood cells," the doctor explains.
When the doctor brings up Denise's treatment plan, the latter remains in shock as she thinks about her family and young son Raymond. On the way home, she declines a call from her husband Jack who is wondering why she isn't at the wedding.
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At the salon, Denise panics when she hears the survival rate for AML, which is even lower for black people. Yolande arrives to check she's okay and immediately notices something is wrong.
Denise initially claims she's fine but when Yolande mentions Raymond, she sinks to the floor in tears. She breaks down and reveals her cancer diagnosis, with Yolande comforting her.
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"I feel disgusted bringing this into our home, my life, my family. I'm ashamed of it. I'm ashamed of me. Of what I'm going to become. Like a drag on everybody," Denise shares.
Yolande continues to patiently support her as she gets her head around the situation, reminding her that everyone is there to take care of her.
"You are a grown-ass woman of 57, who holds something unbreakable inside of you. You know it, I know it. Everybody knows it," Yolande says. "You survived those men who tried to break you, Denise. Why not this?"
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.
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