EastEnders’ Barney Mitchell makes a big mistake with Avani Nandra-Hart next week – has he blown his chances with her, and is their friendship beyond repair?

The teens have continued to grow closer in recent weeks, and Avani even gave Barney a kiss when he supported her through her traumatic ordeal with Joel.

But all this was pushed to the side when Vicki arrived with shocking news for Barney – Zack is his real dad, and he had been killed in a horror car crash.

As the dramatic episodes unfolded this week, it was revealed that Zack was still alive, having swam to the other side of the lake as the car he was in submerged in water.

Barney was clearly overwhelmed by the huge bombshell about his paternity, and he eventually decided to go home with his family, thwarting Zack’s hopes of taking him away from the dangerous Mitchells.

Next week, Barney is shaken and still coming to terms with this life-changing news, and Avani wants to make sure she’s there for her pal – but things go very wrong.

“Avani has felt Barney’s constant support during a difficult time,” our source notes. “So she is keen to return the favour when she spots him going through hell.

“But when Avani tries to reach out to him, what should be a sweet conversation quickly turns sour, and Barney ends up offending her.”

Barney soon realises that his comments were out of line and sets out to make amends with Avani. But she has brought mum Priya up to speed about his wrongdoing, and the feisty pair ignore Barney’s apologies.

“The Nanda-Hart ladies team up for once,” our insider explains. “They let Barney know that his behaviour is unacceptable. Avani takes this confident energy and gets the better of villainous Joel later in the week, when he tries and fails to humiliate her.”

With Avani choosing to take control of her life, is there still hope for her relationship with Barney?