Warning! This article contains spoilers for Thursday’s edition of EastEnders.
EastEnders fans have been left stunned after fan favourite Roxy Mitchell was brought back from the dead in an emotional scene.
The character, played by Rita Simons, was killed off alongside her sister Ronnie (Samantha Womack) in a grisly swimming pool accident on Ronnie’s wedding day on New Year’s Day 2017.
The decision to kill off two of the show’s central characters was met with a severe backlash from fans at the time, with calls for bosses to work out a way for them to return having long been made on the internet.
This week, fans finally got their wish when Roxy appeared as a vision to her daughter Amy during a family therapy session.
The teenager has been struggling with her mental health and self-harming in recent months, and sought guidance from her mother’s spirit in emotional scenes from Thursday’s episode, which is now available on iPlayer.
An imagined Roxy urged Amy not to harm or give up on herself, as they recalled memories they shared together, and told each other how much they loved one another.
On Twitter, Roxy’s reappearance came as a shock, but viewers were also praised bosses for finding a way to bring the character back – albeit briefly.
Coinciding with her return to EastEnders, Rita has also given an interview to The Sun, in which she claims members of production crew told her they disagreed with the decision to axe the Mitchell sisters.
She also claimed that refused to film key scenes in the lead up to Roxy’s on-screen death.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One, with new episodes also dropping each morning on iPlayer.