Phil receives unexpected support from two of his EastEnders exes – as rumours fly
Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) turns to two former lovers for advice in EastEnders next week as Nigel Bates’ (Paul Bradley) dementia worsens.
As viewers of the BBC One soap have seen, Phil decided to take on the responsibility of being Nige’s carer after he uncovered his plans to commit suicide.
Since then, Nigel has found it difficult to adjust to his mate’s newfound caring demeanour, and the set-up has been anything but harmonious.
This has only been worsened by the fact he seems to be struggling more and more with his memory – confusing two Walford youngsters for his stepdaughter Clare (Gemma Bissix) and mistaking Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) for his ex-wife Debbie (Nicola Duffett) during the Square’s VE Day celebrations.
In upcoming scenes, Phil’s worry for his friend’s safety intensifies.
Nigel leaves the house barefoot, and has also left the kitchen in complete and utter chaos. Phil attempts to settle him, but the situation quickly becomes dangerous when the man argue over a boiling pan of water.
At a loose end, Phil heads out and is spotted by ex-wife Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace).
She can see he’s injured, and pressures him into admitting that Nigel’s condition is rapidly worsening. The couple have a heart-to-heart, and Kat realises that Phil is out of his depth, physically and mentally exhausted from his care.
As he begins to open up, Kat suggests getting some extra support on board, but he refuses to listen.
It’s not long before their encounter sets tongues wagging, as Jean wonders why Kat is spending so much time with Phil. She quickly dismisses her thoughts, saying that their relationship is purely platonic.
When Phil returns home, he finds Nigel offering a helping hand to Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown) with her school homework. As they talk about the past, Nige’s memory begins to fade and he once again confused her for Clare.
Navigating the fall out of their conversation is harder than Phil anticipates, and Kat insists that he must get help, with Denise Fox (Diane Parish) backing her up.
Will Phil accept defeat before it becomes too much to bare?
