Returning ‘EastEnders’ actress Lucy Benjamin has opened up about what fans can expect from her character’s arrival in Walford, confirming Lisa Fowler won’t be receiving a warm welcome.
Viewers saw her make a surprise comeback on Friday (21 July) when she rushed to be at her daughter Louise Mitchell’s, side and we’ll now see her trying to build bridges with her again.
However, Lucy has now confirmed Lisa’s ex Phil Mitchell won’t exactly be welcoming her back with open arms.
She said: “I don’t think it’s going to be a great reception. On the whole, they think Lisa’s been a bad mum, she’s not been there for Louise.
“There’s always going to be drama when Lisa is anywhere near Phil. There’s going to be fireworks.
“Phil isn’t Lisa’s favourite person in the world to be around.
“I think he’s a trigger for lots of things going wrong for Lisa. He’s not the sort of person that she needs to be around. But in true Lisa and Phil fashion, it will be quite explosive.”
And then, of course, there’s also the small matter of Sharon…
“There was history with Lisa and Sharon. There’s always been fireworks there,” Lucy continued. I think Lisa realises Sharon is the woman in Phil’s life and is the right woman for Phil.
“Sharon is such a lovely human being and such a great character. Lisa will realise she needs to get in with Sharon as an ally. That will probably help her get in with Louise.
“Of course Sharon’s no fool and will stand her ground and will tell Lisa in no uncertain terms what she thinks of her. But Sharon is able to move on from that a lot easier than Phil.
“She can have her say and have her piece and let people know how she feels. She’s a grown-up though, she’s lived. She’s made her own mistakes and is happy to move forward.”
Friday’s episode saw Lisa and Phil’s daughter Louise hospitalised with serious burns, after a physical altercation with bullies Alexandra and Madison.
Speaking after her surprise appearance, Lucy admitted that she took her time before agreeing to return to the soap.
“At first I wasn’t too sure because it is a chapter that was closed and it wasn’t something I’d thought about,” Lucy said. “You don’t live your life thinking ‘I wonder if’.”
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