EastEnders aired the surprise return of Lee Carter on Thursday night.
The character, played by actor Danny Hatchard, returned to screens without it being revealed ahead of transmission.
The fan favourite featured in harrowing scenes, leading up to his father Mick Carter contemplating suicide.
As Mick hit his lowest point, his pain became too much and he reached out to Samaritans to talk to someone.
He later revealed his son Lee was the reason he reached out, after he advised him to speak out - following his own mental health battle a few years ago.
Lee could see something was not right with his dad, and believed he might be depressed.
Fearing he could end up hurting himself, Lee urged him to open up - recalling himself being in a dark place not too long ago.
Lee had considered taking his own life, but was talked down from a roof and has since been doing well.
Seeing his dad clearly struggling, Lee begged Mick to talk to him or anyone before it was too late.
Mick and Linda met their son Lee at a café, amid their shock split just days before.
Lee was then told about the separation leaving him devastated, but he sensed something wasn't right with Mick given how unbothered he seemed.
Mick was continuing to spiral but bottling everything up, and as he stormed out Lee soon followed.
It's then that in moving scenes Lee supported his dad and urged him to speak out - something that stuck with Mick during his darkest moments, as he considered taking his own life.
As he spoke to Samaritans, Mick shared Lee's story before revealing he was the reason he made contact with the helpline that evening.
* Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org
EastEnders airs Mondays and Fridays at 8pm, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One.
