Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris) is set for a miserable Christmas Day in EastEnders as festivities begin in Albert Square.
Poor Bernie has already been caught up in the crossfire between Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) and Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley), when it all kicked off over the cafe.
Rocky, as viewers know, decided to set fire to the café as part of an insurance scam and when Kathy found out, she stormed to the Queen Vic to confront buyer Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry)but Bernie tried to stand between them.
Thankfully, her brother Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) piled in before evil Nish could do any serious damage.
But this Christmas, Keanu’s set to turn on Bernie.
Waking up alone on Christmas Day in No. 23B, after mum Karen legged it with £50k of Phil Mitchell’s cash, poor Bernie is freezing cold and miserable, with no electricity, heating, or family around her.
Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) disappeared with Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths) after he found out the truth about her helping Keanu to stage Albie’s kidnap.
She came up with the sick kidnap plot after Albie’s mum Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) said she was moving to Abu Dhabi.
But when Phil Mitchell accused her and Keanu, Karen said it was all her doing and took all the blame, insisting Keanu was innocent.
Mitch urged her to stay and fight, but the pair ended up declaring their love for each other and legging it together – with Phil’s cash.
So as Christmas Day begins, cold, dark and silent in No 23B, Bernie typically tries to put a brave face on it.
At least she’s got Keanu and Sharon’s Christmas Day wedding to look forward to.
After an emotional call with Karen, Bernie pleads with Keanu to speak to fiancee Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and sort things out with Sharon’s ex, Phil – who gave her the cash to pay the kidnap ransom – so their mum can come home.
But Keanu’s terrified that the whole ghastly truth about his involvement in Albie’s kidnap will come out, so not only does he refuse to speak to Sharon about it, but he bans Bernie from the wedding.
Shaken, Bernie heads to the Mitchells’ at no 55, where the Christmas lunch festivities are in full swing, and plucks up the courage to ask to speak to Phil.
What will Bernie day to him? How will Phil react?
