Yahoo News EastEnders airs emotional Elaine and Drew scenes
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has aired an emotional reunion between Elaine Peacock and Drew Peacock after a shocking family secret was unveiled.
In the previous episode, the bride-to-be came face to face with Drew again during her hen night - ahead of her wedding to George - when he was booked as the drag entertainment for the occasion.
Initially screaming at him to leave the pub, Elaine was forced to explain her outburst to daughter Linda and grandson Johnny, revealing that Drew was actually her late husband John's secret lover.
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In a heart to heart following the revelation, Johnny encouraged his grandmother to seek out Drew for answers.
Sure enough, Elaine returns to The Vic where she joins Drew on the balcony for a chat.
"What you going to do, push me off?" quips Drew, with Elaine diffusing the tension: "I am not here for a fight."
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The two reflect on how much the world has changed since Drew and John's relationship and the lengths they went to to hide it.
Drew explains his bitterness towards Elaine, wondering if he and John could have made it without her keeping up the facade.
It turns out the two secretly held the same fear - too scared to make John choose between them. "I was scared I wouldn't like the answer and I'm guessing you felt exactly the same," says Drew.
Related: EastEnders reveals “humiliation” for Linda in new advanced spoilers
The two sit down for a drink at the bar and reminisce over John, before Drew emotionally opens up about his health.
Drew reveals he was diagnosed with HIV back in 1986, during the early days of testing and detection of the condition. Elaine asks whether John received a diagnosis too, but Drew explains that he was too scared to take the test.
Drew heartbreakingly tells Elaine that he blames his diagnosis for John's death, with the pressure of the situation and him "nagging him" to get tested causing John's fatal heart attack.
"I thought the same," admits Elaine, sighing. "All the pressure of him keeping his life hidden."
The topic of conversation moves on to Elaine's upcoming nuptials who shares her fears with Drew of something going wrong in her relationship with George, due to her experience with John.
"Everyday I wake up scared that my bed is going to be empty again," she says. "And he's going to find someone I can't compete with. I've got my own scars."
Drew tries to reassure her, telling Elaine that she finally deserves to be someone's first choice.
"I'm not saying he's going to leave you and I'm not saying he won't but he's not John and you've got to hope," he adds. "You've got a picnic, cherish it."
Elaine returns to the pub and with doubts still on her mind she asks Johnny to make her a "watertight" prenup before she marries George. The episode ends with Johnny agreeing to his grandmother's wishes.
Organisations including amFAR, Terrence Higgins Trust and the National Aids Trust (NAT) can provide further information on research, testing and treatment for both HIV and AIDS.
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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