EastEnders' Diane Parish reveals Denise's romantic fate in BBC soap's 40th anniversary
Denise Fox is trapped in a love triangle as both Ravi and Jack are vying for her affection - but only viewers get to decide.
Last year, the beloved hairdresser's marriage to Jack Branning, played by Scott Maslen, was rocked by his affair with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).
Although the affair has ended, Denise has kept Jack at arm's length while diving into a steamy romance with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), leaving her heart divided.
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Diane Parish, who has brought Denise to life since 2006, opened up about the upcoming twists as she revealed she was brought in to film some scenes with co-star Aaron.
"I did suspect something might be coming between Denise and Ravi as I kept having a few little scenes with Aaron, and I didn’t know why," she revealed.
"We wondered, after everything that happened between Denise and Ravi, how we’d get to this point. But I was sure that working with an actor like Aaron, that it would work," Diane added.
However, fans are set to play cupid in an extraordinary twist. For the first time ever, EastEnders is giving viewers the power to influence Denise's fate following the hour-long anniversary episode on Wednesday, February 19.
After the show, registered viewers will cast their votes to decide whether Denise should be with Ravi or Jack. The outcome of this ground-breaking vote will be disclosed during a live episode on Thursday, February 20.
While Denise's love life is heating up on EastEnders, Diane has always been a huge fan of the soap. She recalls being so engrossed in the infamous 1994 Sharongate storyline that she was late for one of her own stage performances.
"I didn’t want to miss Sharongate being exposed. That, for me, was classic powerful EastEnders," she admits.
Over the years, Denise has been at the heart of some of EastEnders' most dramatic moments. One of the most memorable was her doomed marriage to serial killer Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet).
In 2010, Lucas went on a killing spree in Walford and held Denise captive for two weeks, leading everyone to believe she was dead. More recently, Denise's involvement in the Six’s murder cover-up and her descent into psychosis became another career-defining moment for Diane. "It was a real acting exercise to research psychosis and to go on a whole journey with it," she shares.
Diane also remembers the impact of the storyline on EastEnders’ dedicated fans, with some thanking her for portraying the condition truthfully.
"It blew me away to discover the number of people who are dealing with or have dealt with psychosis in their lives and how prevalent it is", she reveals. "It’s important to tell stories like this to highlight mental health issues and bring them to the forefront."
Bosses have lined up plenty of drama for EastEnders' 40th anniversary, with Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) set to crash Honey and Billy's wedding in The Vic. But another showdown at No.25, as spoilers tease killer Reiss' comeback, could make things spiral out of control.
