Yahoo News EastEnders' Lauren Branning hands ultimatum to Whitney Dean in tense stand-off after diagnosis
EastEnders have given a first glimpse at a stand-off between Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) and Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) as an ultimatum is set to shake up the Square. After Whitney and Zack's (James Farrar) daughter Britney had an accident with her bike the couple find out that she has Type 2 Usher syndrome while in hospital.
Usher Syndrome is an inherited problem that includes hearing loss, vision loss and balance problems, according to John Hopkins Medicine. The pair are devastated to learn about the impact the diagnosis will have on their little girl's life and in her EastEnders debut viewers saw that Britney is deaf and wears a hearing aid to help manage her condition.
The time comes for Britney to attend her first day at Walford High and anxious dad Zack suggests that Britney be registered at the local GP. Whitney tells a white lie that she has already registered their daughter in an attempt to conceal the truth about her deal with Britney's mum Keeley Wainwright (Kirsty J Curtis) coming to light.
Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) enters the storyline when Whitney tries to convince her to bypass the checks Britney needs to register - and fails - causing her to bring Keeley to the GP to sign her up.
A row breaks out between couple Whitney and Zack when she misses a scan and Walford High call after Britney's hearing aid stops working.
At Sonia's dinner party Lauren Branning slaps down an ultimatum to Whitney and leaves her a choice - tell Zack everything, or she will. Lauren persists with this ultimatum, but Whitney pleads for more time.
Zack overhears the women's tense discussion in the Minute Mart, and he demands answers. Lauren is left fuming once more as Whitney doubles down on keeping her secret.
The two women then find Britney in the midst of being bullied and Whitney takes the situation into her own hands - ignoring Zack's advice - and steps in to speak out against the bullies. Despite the heroic act to protect her daughter, Britney is teased more after her mum intervenes.
Will Whitney be able to keep her secret or will Lauren keep to her ultimatum and let the cat out of the bag? You can find out on EastEnders which will air at 7.30pm on BBC One from Monday April 22.
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