Grief-stricken Sharon Mitchell made a distressing suicide bid in tonight's EastEnders.
Sharon, who was left heartbroken by the death of 13-year-old son Denny, was clearly distracted when she dropped her newborn baby off with Karen Taylor.
Emotional Sharon started looking at photos of her son before picking up some pills and writing Ian Beale's name up on a suicide note.
After realising the pills were missing, Ian rushed over to the Mitchell's house and asked Sharon how many she had taken.
Breaking down in tears, Sharon said: "I couldn't do it. I wanted to so much but I couldn't do it."
Ian, who lost daughter Lucy and step-son Steven, admitted he knew how his friend was hurting but this was not the answer.
Sharon said: "Every time I picked up a pill I just saw his little face and it was like he was saying, 'Don't be stupid, mum'."
The grieving mother explained that she couldn't remember Dennis' voice before it broke, adding: "Week by week I was losing him and now he’s gone. He’s never coming back, is he?"
As Sharon broke down in his arms, Ian told her to "live for Denny".
Giving words of encouragement, he said: "When you meet everyone you’ve got to tell them you had this wonderful son. You’ve got to remember him because thats what keeps Denny alive."
Feeling guilty about his own involvement in Dennis' death, Ian said: "I am so, so sorry. I should have done more. It should have bee me who died on that boat."
Sharon is unaware that Ian locked Dennis up in a room on the boat after discovering he had been making vile Islamophobic posts against Bobby.
She insisted: "You did everything you could. No one could have saved him. It's not your fault he drowned, is it."
Ian hugged Sharon and gave a worrying look over her shoulder - but will he be found out?
Emotional EastEnders viewers took to Twitter after watching the heartbreaking scenes.
"Those Sharon and Ian scenes were heartbreaking," said one viewer.
Another added: "Every mother is grieving with Sharon...it’s heartbreaking, he might have been rotten but he was still a child."
"So sad tonight, Sharon grieving, Daniel dying as well and Jean getting the all clear. Ian suffering with guilt as well," said a third.
A fourth agreed: "So much happened in tonight’s episode so heartbreaking"
* EastEnders airs Mondays and Fridays at 8pm, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One
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
