EastEnders fans predict icon's return as they 'work out' who Sharon's real baby daddy is

EastEnders fans reckon they've cracked the mystery of who Sharon Watts' son Albie's real dad is - and it's not Phil Mitchell.

As viewers will remember, Sharon (played by Letitia Dean) was left devastated last year when she discovered that her fiance Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) wasn't Albie's father.

The truth came out that Keanu couldn't possibly be Albie's dad, as he didn't carry the gene for Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AADT), a condition that Albie has. This disorder can cause serious lung and liver issues and only occurs if both parents are carriers.

This revelation led Sharon to realise that her ex-lover Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) must be Albie's dad - despite a previous DNA test indicating that Phil wasn't the father.

Even though she kept this from Keanu, the truth was revealed on their wedding day - resulting in a dramatic scene where Keanu almost strangled Sharon, before Linda intervened and stabbed him at the Queen Vic, reports the Daily Star.

However, the question of Albie's paternity still baffles fans of the popular BBC soap - with many insisting that neither Keanu nor Phil are his real father.

Now, fans have taken to the internet to share their theories - one of which involves the potential comeback of Mitchell brother, Grant. The notorious bad boy, portrayed by Ross Kemp, had a rather stormy relationship with Sharon during his time on the show.

He exited the show in 1999 but has made several brief comebacks over the years. His most recent stint was in 2016 for ten episodes following the death of his on-screen mum Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor).

Soap fans have been left reeling with speculation over on a forum, as one eagle-eyed viewer pointed out: "Following Albie's AADT diagnosis and learning that Keanu doesn't have the deficiency to pass on, Sharon comes to conclusion that Phil is Albie's father."

The fan theory continued: "This has been speculated for a long while with the paternity test in 2019 being considered untrustworthy. What's been given, instead, is two negative results that disproves one as the dad, but doesn't prove the other."

They questioned the plot further: "Is there a reason this has been left open? Why not have Phil get a DNA test when Sam suggested it and prove with 100% certainty that Albie is Phil's? Are they going to say the hospital got the AADT test wrong and in an added tragic twist, Keanu really was Albie's dad? ".

The speculation didn't stop there, as the fan mused: "There's actually room for anything. Later on, a producer can retcon Sharon to have slept with someone else in 2019 and both the DNA and AADT test results would actually fit with that; neither bloke was the father."

Other viewers chimed in with their own theories, with Phil's brother Grant topping the list of potential fathers. One fan confessed: "I'd be lying if I said this wasn't my first thought."

Another added fuel to the fire: "Yes I wouldn't put it past them to retcon the paternity again. 40th anniversary he is revealed as Grant's after an off-screen reunion leading to his return." And yet another agreed: "Yes I wouldn't put it past them to retcon the paternity again."

Meanwhile, a third insisted: "To be honest the only other bloke I'll accept it being is Grant, because despite not seeing it I could believe it. In fact, I've always wondered if this is why, when [Chris] Clenshaw first got in as producer, he had that whole mini-arc of Sharon going to Grant for support."

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer