The following article refers to sexual assault, loss of a child and eating disorders.
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders aired crucial scenes for four different couples in the latest episode.
Wednesday’s (August 9) episode dealt with pivotal decisions in the lives of Ben Mitchell and Callum Highway, Patrick and Yolande Trueman, Whitney Dean and Zack Hudson, and Sonia Fowler and Reiss Colwell.
Earlier this week, Ben angrily rejected Callum as his husband tried to comfort him. Callum had referenced the trauma of Ben’s sexual assault, which caused Ben to turn on him and demand that he be left alone.
While Ben insisted being raped by Lewis last year had nothing to do with his current mental health crisis, the truth emerged when he stopped Callum from hugging him. his arms insisting that he had “said ‘no'”.
Related: EastEnders star Max Bowden teases Peter Beale scenes and Ben’s future
In Wednesday’s episode, Kat Slater proved to be an unlikely source of support for Ben when she found him on the verge of collapse after venting his anger on a punching bag.
Kat explained that she could relate to Ben because she was also a victim of sexual abuse, but encouraged him to seek professional help before destroying himself and his family.
Ben initially resisted, but eventually agreed to attend a rape support group with Kat. Once they got home, Callum waited and begged her husband to tell her how he felt.
Ben finally told Callum that he had been secretly battling bulimia for months, with Callum admitting he had noticed changes in her husband’s diet.
“I have a problem,” Ben confessed to her husband.
Related: Soap Movers: who leaves, returns and joins EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale And Hollyoaks?
Ben acknowledged that he felt a complete loss of control over his life due to Lola’s death occurring so soon after her rape.
“I think I felt like the food was the only thing I had a choice over, you know?” he explained.
Ben promised he wanted to get better, so Callum told Ben he would support him every step of the way when he was ready for help.
“I grew up thinking it was weak to talk about things,” Ben recalls. “And I know it’s wrong, but it doesn’t make it easy for me to talk about my issues. I’ll try.”
Callum assured Ben that they would “be fine”, telling him, “I love you”.
Meanwhile, Sonia and Reiss were still considering the possibility of having children. Earlier this week, Reiss accused Sonia of cheating when he thought she was pregnant.
When Sonia insisted she wasn’t actually pregnant, Reiss revealed he was infertile. The couple discussed the possibility of IVF in the latest episode.
Both were hesitant about the physical and emotional toll of IVF, with Reiss wondering if they were better off the way they are now. Sonia thought about the complications she faced when Bex was born.
Still, Sonia came to the conclusion that she would like to try IVF with Reiss if he wanted to – and they eventually agreed to continue trying for a child.
Zack and Whitney were also at odds over whether to pursue adoption, after losing their daughter months ago. Although they both wanted to stay together, Whitney wondered if Zack would really be happy because she “can’t give [him] a baby”.
Whitney took Zack by the hands and asked him if he would consider adoption. She was alarmed when Zack reacted negatively, so she tried to explain that they would still have the experience of raising a child together.
“It would be our own little family and it would be amazing,” she insisted.
Zack explained that due to his own fostering experience, he feared the child would never really feel like he belonged. He felt abandoned by his own father and wanted a child “of his own” to catch up with him.
“Love is love, and every child needs a home,” Whitney replied.
Whitney admitted she had had her own doubts about adoption, but thought that with Zack by her side, they could have a rewarding experience.
“I can’t go through life knowing that I haven’t been blessed with my own family,” Zack confessed.
The soap opera later returned to the couple and as they expressed their love for each other, Whitney felt they would end up resenting each other because they weren’t on the same length waves about parenthood.
“We don’t have to decide [if we’re splitting] tonight, right?” Whitney asked, with Zack nodding in agreement.
Elsewhere, it was decisive for Patrick and Yolande after their recent reunion. The couple couldn’t help but wonder if they were truly in love or just living in nostalgia.
The two met at the laundromat, where Patrick kindly told Yoldande that he wanted to feel the same love he had with her when they were in Birmingham.
“I want to feel like this every day, from now on,” he assured her.
As Patrick put on some of the romantic tunes they once danced to, Patrick called Yolande “the love of [his] life”…and Yolande said she felt the same way about him.
Yolande agreed to stay at Walford, so they celebrated with a slow dance between the washing machines.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show is also streaming on BBC iPlayer.
Learn more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Beat is a charity that raises awareness and understanding of eating disorders and supports those affected by them. He has a one-to-one secure messaging serviceand details of its helplines can be found here.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work to eliminate all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, at their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape crisis in Scotland the helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the United States are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.
Organizations including sands And At Tommy’s are able to offer help and support to anyone affected by the loss of a baby.
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