EastEnders fans think they know what's happened to Louise Mitchell and why she possibly won't return to Walford, despite two of her relatives making a comeback.
Louise's mother Lisa Fowler will return to Walford with Louise's young daughter Peggy in upcoming scenes, The Mirror has revealed.
But with no mention of Louise joining them and trouble ahead for Peggy's father Keanu Taylor, fans are guessing something has happened to Louise.
Louise left Walford with her mother in early 2020 after believing she had helped killed Keanu, after he cheated on her with her stepmother Sharon Watts.
Unable to cope, Lisa fled with her troubled daughter and baby granddaughter - while they had no idea then that Keanu was actually still alive, despite the Mitchells blackmailing Martin Fowler into killing him.
Keanu is now back in Walford and has reunited with Sharon, so Lisa's return with little Peggy will no doubt cause mayhem
But with it not clear if Louise is set to return at some point and Lisa's comeback thought to be temporary, viewers think they know what has happened to the character - believing she will be staying behind in Portugal.
Taking to Twitter, fans guessed that Louise had struggled with her life away from Walford and had maybe gone off the rails, and perhaps Lisa was bringing Peggy back to her father so he could look after her for a while, or for good.
Another theory was that something was wrong with little Peggy, and Lisa was seeking help from family members including her dad Keanu.
One viewer tweeted: "Maybe Lou needs a break from Peggy or has had a breakdown or something in spain, so Lisas took Peggy to see her fam on the square who will look after her. So that lou can get a break, or she couldve ran off with some man I wouldn't put it past her."
Another fan tweeted: "I reckon Louise has gone off the rails and someone needs to take care of Peggy."
A third added: "Something wrong with Peggy Jr potentially, Louise can't handle it. Lisa knows from Phil Keanu's back so she decides it's finally time for him to step up for BOTH his kids not just Albie?"
Lucy Benjamin, who plays Lucy, told the Mirror of her return: "I can’t wait to return as Lisa after leaving for Portugal with Louise and Peggy in 2019.
"No doubt, in true Lisa fashion, she will bring plenty of drama for many of the characters, which is why playing her is such a delight."
While the scenes actually aired in 2020, the actress wrapped up filming in 2019.
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw said of the scenes: "We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Lisa back for a short while as she and Peggy cause trouble between the happy couple, Sharon and Keanu."
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
