EastEnders Emma Harding’s return ‘sealed’ with huge pregnancy twist after Phil romp
EXCLUSIVE: EastEnders’ Emma Harding hasn’t been seen in Walford since last year - but fans are convinced she’s going to rock up after her secret romp with Phil was revealed
EastEnders fans reckon Emma Harding is heading back to the soap – and will have a big baby surprise for Phil Mitchell.
The character, played by Patsy Kensit, made her Walford debut in 2023 as the estranged mum of Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold). Emma rocked up the square amid Lola’s battle with an incurable brain tumour – who sadly died in May that year.
She then returned in September – and things took a dramatic turn. Fans will recall that she and Phil (Steve McFadden) ended up bonking in the office at Peggy’s bar – just days before his wedding to Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace).
Although he wanted to shut it down soon after, Emma wasn’t having it and went on to blackmail Phil over their saucy fling. She demanded access to see her granddaughter Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown) – otherwise she would tell everyone their secret.
Emma eventually left the square – and Phil has since been hiding his betrayal. But in Wednesday’s episode (January 17), his infidelity came back and bit him.
In explosive scenes, Sam Mitchell, who found out about Phil and Emma’s fling, demanded Phil to give her money or else she would tell Kat everything. He succumbed to his little sister and then forced her to leave the square.
Fuming, Sam headed over to the Vic for Kat and Phil’s party. Never one to stray away from drama, she then took to the mic and told everyone that Phil slept with Emma – leaving Kat horrified.
Now, fans reckon Emma will be back and will have a huge baby bombshell for Phil: that’s pregnant. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one person said: “Knowing Phil, he’s probably got Emma pregnant too.”
Someone else added: “Watch Emma turn up now.” A third quipped: “Wait so if Emma ends up being pregnant with Phil’s baby, he now has 5 kids? Ben, Louise, Raymond, Albie, and Emma’s Baby.” Another wrote: “Ah it is Phil’s! So that’s a child with Denise, Sharon and Emma then.”
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Bard AI has also echoed fan’s thoughts. Daily Star quizzed one of the world’s most popular artificially intelligent “creative” tools Bard AI to see if Emma could return to the soap pregnant with Phil’s baby. could return to Walford. The program responded: “There is speculation and fan theories based on a few factors.”
Bard AI said: “Emma had a one-night stand with Phil during her short stint. Since then, fans have noticed the lack of mention about her, leading some to believe her absence might be a set-up for a bigger storyline involving a potential pregnancy.”
The system also noted “Phil’s history of fathering children” as a reason for Emma’s return. It explained: “Phil has a long list of children, not all acknowledged, and past flings often resurface with surprising consequences. Emma’s potential pregnancy would fit this pattern.”
