Today’s EastEnders delivered one of Denise Fox’s most emotional moments yet as she finally told her family about her cancer diagnosis.
But while viewers were relieved to see Denise open up at last, many found themselves distracted by a key scene they never got to see.
Fans have been praising Denise’s storyline, but plenty were left asking the same question after watching today’s episode.
Denise revealed her diagnosis in EastEnders today
Until now, only Jack and Yolande have known about Denise’s cancer. They have both been desperately trying to get her to start her treatment, knowing that every day she delays going into hospital will make her battle even harder.
Today’s episode saw Jack take desperate measures to get the message through to Denise as she continued to carry on with normal everyday life. He went to see Phil, asking him to have a word with Denise as he hadn’t been able to get through to her.
Phil was understandably concerned about Denise, and so he paid her a visit. However, despite his concern and offer of support, Denise didn’t take kindly to the ambush and threw him out of the house.
Later, Denise noticed that Kim was wearing a ring around her neck. She demanded to know what was going on, and Kim and Howie admitted they’d got engaged but were keeping it quiet because of everything going on with Jordan.
The family decided to have a party to celebrate that evening, and Denise organised everything at short notice. However, as Kim made a speech, it was all too much for Denise, and she ran into the toilets, upset.
Chelsea could see that there was something wrong, and followed her mum. Despite Chelsea trying to coax some information out of Denise, Denise remained tight-lipped and tried to leave the party.
However, as everyone demanded answers, Denise realised that she couldn’t keep her diagnosis a secret any longer and told everyone that she had cancer.
Fans are baffled by missing Chelsea and Penny scene
While Denise and her cancer confession were the main focus of today’s episode, fans were distracted by another thread of the storyline.
Earlier in the episode, Denise and Chelsea had a coffee in the cafe. Chelsea confessed to her mum that she had a lot to think about before Jordan could come home. She said she had to think about private physio sessions for him, a wheelchair and also where they were both going to live.
Chelsea added that she had talked about things with Penny, who had offered her lots of advice.
However, fans were fuming that this wasn’t a conversation that was shown on screen. They also claimed this was a missed opportunity from the writers.
Fans all have the same complaint about today’s EastEnders
Fans were baffled by the missing scene between Penny and Chelsea and took to social media to share their frustration…
“Why on EARTH didn’t they show us Chelsea and Penny’s conversation about Jordan on screen?” demanded one fan on Reddit. “Who made that decision?”
While someone else agreed: “It is infuriating that important scenes like Penny’s conversation with Chelsea take place off-screen. This is an important storyline that should have been shown.”
A third fan also pointed out that Chelsea and Penny’s friendship should be taking centre stage at a time like this. “Penny is the perfect person for Chelsea to confide in and to offer support at a time like this. Why aren’t we seeing more of this on screen?”
More drama to come for Denise and Chelsea in EastEnders
The story is far from over for the Fox family.
With encouragement from her loved ones, Denise finally contacts the hospital and prepares for a month-long course of treatment.
Meanwhile, Chelsea reaches out to Libby and tells her about Denise’s diagnosis.
Libby soon arrives back in Walford and shares an emotional reunion with her mum. However, her return quickly creates fresh drama when she learns Chelsea is struggling financially.
Believing she is helping, Libby contacts Gray’s grandmother Sheila. Although Chelsea is initially unhappy about the interference, she eventually agrees to meet Sheila for coffee.
But with Gray’s family now entering Chelsea’s life, viewers are left wondering whether she could come to regret that decision.
Read More: EastEnders spoilers for this week: First look as Penny makes a life-changing decision