Lauren Branning made a big mistake on EastEnders as her addiction storyline continues.

Lauren has become addicted to pain medication in recent weeks following the injury she sustained at the club crush earlier

this year, though she has managed to keep it a secret from almost everybody.

Lauren recently discovered a motionless Kojo Asare lying on the ground outside The Vic following his altercation with

Cindy Beale, though Cindy blackmailed her into silence after discovering Lauren’s plight.

Cindy had supplied Lauren with a batch of illegal pills in the hope of keeping her silent, with Thursday’s (December 5) episode beginning as a pressured Lauren stayed late at work on her first day back.

Feeling the stress, Lauren attempted to take one of the pills, but was thwarted as Jay returned to the office. Lauren quickly and secretly slipped the bag of pills into a blue folder, with Jay urging her to go home after a long day.

Lauren met with Peter for a quiet meal, though he stated that her appetite wasn’t wholly there. An agitated Lauren eventually snapped at Peter as she accused him of “second-guessing” her emotions, though she quickly apologised for her outburst.

Lauren returned to the office to retrieve the pills, but found the blue folder had gone missing. Jay informed her that a buyer had collected the folder, meaning Lauren’s pills were in the hands of a stranger; will Lauren be able to find her pills, or will she face the consequences of her actions?

Elsewhere in the episode, the manhunt for Nish Panesar escalated as the police entered Walford, whilst Teddy Mitchell and Sharon Watts’s blossoming relationship took a new turn as they spent the night in.