Tonight’s EastEnders left viewers worried for George Knight after his guilt over Eddie’s death pushed him into a risky situation that could have had devastating consequences.
After watching Eddie die last week and choosing not to intervene, George has been struggling to cope with the emotional fallout.
His actions in tonight’s episode showed just how much the situation is affecting him, with one moment in particular putting his life in serious danger.
But what is the brain condition George is living with that means a single punch could prove fatal?
George puts his life at risk in EastEnders
With Eddie’s death weighing heavily on his conscience, George was struggling in today’s EastEnders.
He lashed out at Nicola after learning that she made a deal with Eddie, which meant he could see out his final days at their house in exchange for his life savings.
Despite his relationship with Nicola being fairly new, Elaine knows George better than he knows himself, but when she went to see him today after learning of Eddie’s death, he held her at arm’s length.
Knowing George wasn’t himself, Elaine tried to get through to her ex. However, she thought his turmoil was down to his confusion over mourning a cruel father, rather than the reality that George watched Eddie die and did nothing to help him.
George challenged Mark to a fight
While there isn’t an EastEnders fan in the country who will be sorry to see the back of Eddie, George struggled with his emotions and decided to go to the gym to let off some steam.
Once there, Mark Jr offered his condolences to George, which didn’t go down well.
They had a brief exchange about the fact neither of them got on with their dads, before George asked Mark for a friendly fight in the ring.
Mark was hesitant at first, and understandably so. George is an ex-professional boxer for a start. But George pointed out he was older than Mark and promised to go easy on him.
However, once he got in the ring, George was consumed by anger and lashed out at Mark, hitting him far harder than he promised. Mark got to the point where he had to hit George back in self-defence… not realising that one punch could kill him.
George went down like a sack of potatoes and ended up unconscious with blood trickling from his nose.
What brain condition does George have?
George has CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a degenerative brain disease which is a known condition amongst boxers. It is caused by repeated blows to the head and frequent concussions. George was diagnosed with the condition in May, 2024.
The diagnosis came after he collapsed at his mum’s memorial and was rushed to the hospital for a CT scan.
The doctors revealed the condition was a result of his professional boxing career and warned him that just one more blow to the head could be fatal.
Will George die in EastEnders?
While things don’t look good for George, we do know that he survives Mark’s punch. Spoilers have revealed that Phil comes to his rescue tomorrow and tells Mark about George’s condition.
Although George regains consciousness, he is left groggy and disoriented.
He refuses medical treatment, prompting Phil to take him home instead. Phil then reveals George’s CTE diagnosis to Nicola, who has been completely unaware of what he has been dealing with.
And fans can breathe a sigh of relief for now. George is set to appear in the New Year flashforward episode, meaning viewers can expect to see much more of him on screen through to at least the beginning of 2027.
Read more: EastEnders spoilers for this week: First look as Denise’s future takes another bleak turn