EastEnders’ Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) has spoken of her ‘relief’ when late husband John passed away following years of hiding his true identity.
The Queen Vic landlady was shocked earlier this week when a surprise visitor arrived at her hen-do.
Grandson Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) had booked a drag queen – Drew Peacock (Paul Clayton) – to perform at the celebration, unaware of a decades-old connection between his Grandma and the performer.
As Drew arrived on stage, Elaine freaked out and ordered him out of the pub. As she rushed upstairs, Johnny and his mum Linda (Kellie Bright) followed.
Elaine admitted to Linda that John had been unfaithful during their marriage, and that she had turned a blind-eye to it for years so that she could maintain the pretence that they were in a happy and committed relationship.
Linda was stunned by the revelation, even more so when she found out that Drew was the person her dad had been with.
After coming to terms with seeing him again after years, Elaine approached him at The Prince Albert, Walford’s LGBT nightlife hotspot.
In tonight’s episode, the two exchanged playful insults at one another as Drew admitted that he felt bitter towards Elaine for a long time, wondering what his life would’ve been like had John not been with her.
It seemed the two had more in common than she initially thought, as she’d often wondered the same.
She also blamed John’s heart attack on the pressure he felt to keep his sexuality a secret.
Drew began to describe living through the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the 1980s. Comparing it to a war, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed as HIV positive in 1986 and had urged John to be tested himself.
He explained that John was so fearful of the consequences, and with Drew’s nagging, that is what might’ve caused his death.
Throughout the turmoil, Drew’s story was ultimately one of survival – having taken early medication, he’d managed to live a long, albeit lonely, life. He’d also been encouraged to spend his life savings, so had to continue working into his later years.
Whilst he and Elaine made amends, it became clear that he still resented her for preventing his relationship with John and not inviting him to the funeral.
After apologising, Drew walked off into the night for another gig in Soho.
The situation left Elaine questioning whether her upcoming marriage to George Knight (Colin Salmon) would last. When she arrived home, she asked Johnny to draw up a watertight pre-nuptial agreement.
How will George react?
