Jac Jossa was among the EastEnders stars in the live episode this week, in which her character Lauren Branning and cousin Bianca Jackson supported Sonia Fowler in labour
EastEnders: Lauren and Bianca prepare to deliver Sonia’s baby
Speculation about a scene in EastEnders’ live episode has since been addressed by cast member Jacqueline Jossa.
Jacqueline, 32 – who plays Lauren Branning – was among the actors who appeared in the episode last night. It aired as part of the BBC show’s 40th anniversary week, which saw the Queen Vic ruined in a fatal explosion just days ago.
Lauren and her cousin Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), who were both pregnant, had become trapped in the pub. Sonia went into labour and later her sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) managed to get to them in time to help deliver the baby, who was named Julia following a recent public vote.
One scene prior to the birth saw Bianca preparing to deliver her sister’s baby in the pub. She threw Sonia’s underwear back at Lauren, who held them up near her face before putting them to one side. It prompted reaction on social media at the time, with a number of viewers questioning if Lauren had “sniffed” Sonia’s knickers.
Sharing their thoughts, one fan wrote on X: “Did Lauren really just do the sniff test?” Whilst another asked: “Did Lauren just sniff Sonia’s knickers?!” Among other comments about the situation, one viewer said in a post: “Lauren nooo! Why did you sniff Sonia’s Knickers??!!”
Cast member Jacqueline has since addressed the concern and dismissed the suggestion that her character “sniffed” the underwear. She reacted to a clip of the scene that had been shared by a fan on TikTok alongside the caption: “Why did Lauren sniff Sonia’s knickers?”
Jacqueline – who took over the role of Lauren back in 2010 – responded in the comments section. Alongside laughing emojis, she wrote: “Just to clarify. I didn’t sniff them. I was checking what they where and lifting them in shot. No sniffing.”
She later further addressed the situation in a follow-up comment on the platform. Amid the reaction, Jacqueline added: “They usually hit me in the face so I think I just lifted them up to make sure it was in the shot. This is amazing.”
Following the scene, Bianca helped deliver Sonia’s baby, who was fathered by the late Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman). Reiss – who had previously killed his first wife and kidnapped Bianca after she found out about it – had seemingly been crushed to death in the aftermath of the explosion after finding his way to the trio inside the Queen Vic pub.
Sonia appeared weak following the delivery and Bianca expressed concern for newborn Julia, saying that she was turning blue. Lauren encouraged nurse Sonia to help and she eventually cradled her baby, who let out a scream. They were then seen in the back of an ambulance at the end of the live episode.
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