EastEnders’ Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) is left staggered by a revelation from his wife Julie Bates (Karen Henthorn) following a sad event next week.

Last seen in Walford 27 years ago, Julie recently reunited with her estranged husband Nigel, who had walked out on their life together in Scotland in a bid to hide his dementia diagnosis from her.

She has since moved back down to London to live with Nigel and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) at No.55, along with her brood of chickens – much to the annoyance of Phil and many of their neighbours.

But tragedy strikes on Monday when Nigel and Julie discover the chickens have been killed by foxes.

They later realise that Nigel is accidentally to blame, which sparks an argument when he becomes distressed by his lack of memory.

Later, Nigel grows suspicious as Julie takes a series of mysterious phone calls. She insists they’re about a potential job, but their conversation stirs up some old feelings between the pair, leading Julie to drop a bombshell.

Nigel is floored by the news and, in need of a break from Walford, asks Phil to take him on a day trip to the countryside.

While there, they find a time capsule Nigel buried with Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) when they were kids, and they are shocked by its contents.

Following a heart-to-heart, Nigel and Phil return home, but Julie’s tensions with Phil rise to the surface once again when she feels sidelined by the pair.

It’s clear the revelation about their past has shaken Nigel and Julie’s newly rekindled relationship – but what exactly is it, and will they be able to recover from it?