Martin Fowler (James Bye) is a much-needed shoulder to cry on for Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) in EastEnders this Christmas.

The two haven’t been on best terms of late, after she accidentally exposed his plan to gain custody of son Roman to the child’s mother, his ex-wife Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton).

The floor fell from beneath Martin’s feet last month when Ruby made a shock return and it was revealed that two years ago, she’d given birth to a baby boy.

She initially pretended that Roman had been placed into care, but it soon transpired that he was actually in hospital and needing a liver transplant.

Ruby confessed that he’d got his hands on a bottle of paracetamol and had overdosed – and Martin tore strips off her parenting skills.

He devised a plan to keep her close in a bid to gain custody of the youngster, but Stacey began to believe it was a poor decision.

After Ruby poured her heart out, Stacey rang Martin to tell him to call off the scheme – and she overheard every single detail.

She promised that he’d never get his name on Roman’s birth certificate, and blocked his hospital visits, though it spurred Martin on further in his mission.

In today’s episode, we learnt that the donor liver for Roman’s transplant wasn’t viable. However, as Martin is a match, it could be his last hope.

To Ruby’s shock, he agreed to go through with the operation despite the upset from Stacey’s eldest daughter Lily (Lilia Turner), who considers him to be her father.

During a deep, meaningful conversation with Stacey, Martin admitted that he was fearful of the future and tried to kiss her. She was utterly bewildered and he was left humiliated.

In upcoming scenes, after fretting over Martin’s behaviour, Stacey confides in Eve (Heather Peace) and Kat (Jessie Wallace).

They encourage her to speak about the situation, but when she arrives at his house he’s shocked to see that he’s now living with Ruby.

Martin tells her that there’s nothing between them, but Stacey is deeply offended.

Later, Ruby gatecrashes a Slater family meal whilst Martin returns from visiting Roman at the hospital.

On Christmas Day, Stacey attempts to speak with him again in the hope of making a breakthrough, but they’re both interrupted by Harvey (Ross Boatman) and Jean (Gillian Wright), who update them on the drama unfolding at the Queen Vic regarding Cindy’s (Michelle Collins) affair.

Will they ever find time to talk?

As we approach New Year, Zack (James Farrar) is eager for Martin to attend their big night out to see in 2025, but he’d rather spend time with Ruby and Roman at the hospital.

She’s overjoyed to see him walk into the ward.

Martin hears that Stacey needs his support, and rushes to be by her side – only for them to be quickly joined by Ruby.

She’s less than impressed to see her old best pal there and lashes out, much to Martin’s frustration. For once, Ruby encourages him to be there for Stacey and tries to calm the situation.

Does Stacey want to confess her feelings for him?