BBC EastEnders’ Chelsea and Dean’s past explained: Crash horror, sister link and prison twist

EastEnders fans will see Chelsea Fox and Dean Wicks come face-to-face on the BBC soap in Thursday’s episode, years after they last saw each other.

They used to be close on the show, even sharing a brief romance while a family link soon emerged. It’s safe to say any relationship is out of the window since his return to the BBC show this week.

Viewers who have tuned into the episode early on BBC iPlayer will have seen Dean receiving a frosty reception from Chelsea, as he tried to reminisce about old times. Fans will know that Dean raped Linda Carter in 2014, while he still claims she lied about what happened between them.

Amid Walford residents keen to see Dean leave, what exactly happened between Chelsea and Dean during their time on the show back in the 00s? Here’s a look back at their

Family link and brief romance

Dean, then known as Deano, shared a very brief romance with Chelsea. Dean fancied her but while they did share a kiss, she later used him to get her own way.

Romance didn’t last for long bit it’s just as well, as the pair became step-siblings. Dean’s father Kevin Wicks embarked on a relationship with Chelsea’s mother Denise Fox, with them becoming family. Sadly Kevin died in a car accident in 2008 with Dean leaving Walford the same year.

Revenge twist and prison horror

Dean became embroiled in a revenge plan against Sean Slater thanks to Chelsea, and it led to trouble with the law. After Patrick Trueman was attacked and left for dead, Chelsea set up Sean for the crime. Prior to this, Sean attacked Dean after Chelsea tried to get him involved in their feud.

Sean was imprisoned until Dean’s sister Carly found CCTV that proved his innocence, with him soon released. Dean and Chelsea were arrested for perverting the course of justice. At the trial, Dean was sentenced to six months in prison and spent time, three months, behind bars.

His time in prison left him struggling to cope when he got out. Chelsea was handed the same sentence as Dean, and she too was released after serving half of her sentence.

Car Crash horror

Dean nearly died in a horror car crash with Chelsea back in 2007, which saw him run over Abi Branning. After making a discovery about his mother Shirley, he began to act recklessly before crashing the car leaving him seriously injured.

Chelsea helped Dean in the fallout, offering a shoulder to lean on. This wasn’t the only time Dean was in danger, and months later he considered taking his own life after learning Kevin was not his real father.