f there was a dry eye in your house this evening, then you clearly weren’t watching EastEnders as Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley), who is in the advanced stages of dementia, recognised stepdaughter Clare (Gemma Bissix) in a proper tearjerking TV moment.

Nigel, a mainstay of the BBC One soap during the mid-nineties, staged a historic comeback over a year ago, reuniting with old mate Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).

But sadness followed as he was forced to tell his best friend that he had been diagnosed with dementia.

Phil, who was going through his own struggles at the time, vowed to support Nige, becoming his full-time carer alongside wife Julie (Karen Henthorn), who subsequently returned to the Square.

Together, Julie and Phil looked after Nigel for a year, supporting him as the symptoms of dementia worsened. But after she was hit by Nigel a number of times, Julie thought it time for him to move into a care home.

Phil disagreed at first but, after Nigel nearly drowned in the bath and developed pneumonia, he saw that Julie was right. Preparations were made for Nigel to move into a home this week when a space unexpectedly became available, but not before he had the chance to reconnect with Clare, who Julie got in touch with.

Clare wasn’t pleased that it had taken her this long to inform her of Nigel’s dementia and more upset followed when her stepdad failed to recognise her, thinking that 14-year-old Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown) was Clare instead.

Clare, as viewers will recall, was raised by Nigel and first wife Debbie – Clare’s mum – until a tragic accident claimed Debbie’s life. Nigel stepped up in the aftermath, looking after Clare and, after he fell for her teacher Julie, they left the Square together in ’98.

But Julie and Clare’s relationship suffered in the years that followed and we learned early this week that Clare pawned Debbie’s ring, which left Nigel heartbroken.

Feeling robbed of her chance to make things right, Clare berated Julie for keeping shtum for so long about Nigel’s dementia, which sparked something of a heart-to-heart between the two women.

With Nige checking out of the hospital and ready to move into the care home, Clare organised a last-minute farewell for him back in Walford, with his nearest and dearest sharing stories of his time in the Square.

Nigel struggled to remember anything at first but the more they talked about the good old days, the more the memories came flooding back. Still though, he didn’t recognise Clare, wanting Julie to keep her at bay.

Julie, however, recalled how Nigel used to take Clare swimming and how he accompanied her up to the top diving board once when she got cold feet, despite his fear of heights. He smiled.

The discussion moved to the sugary doughnuts he used to pick up afterwards, which prompted another smile from Nigel, who recalled that he used to let Clare win when it came to who could hold off on licking their lips first.

As he did so, he looked and spoke directly to Clare, who took a breath. ‘Dad?’ she said, moving closer to Nigel, who turned once more and held her gaze, with his expression developing into a big smile. ‘Clare’, he responded, fondly.

No, you’re crying.

In emotional scenes, Nigel left the Vic for the final time as he moved into his care home, which proved quite traumatic for him and Clare. Phil struggled in the wake of his friend’s outburst while Julie packed up Nigel’s belongings at home, breaking down in tears