EastEnders spoilers – Sharon returns to horror and she lashes out before death twist follows

Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) makes her grand return to EastEnders this week – and falls headfirst into some classic EastEnders drama with ex-husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).

The icon has been absent for months, much to the concern of fans, having flown to Australia to care for her old pal Michelle Fowler after a hysterectomy operation.

The decision to take a break was sparked by a series of events that took place on Christmas Day.

Firstly, her marriage to Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) came to a halt following the revelation that their son Albie was actually fathered by Phil.

Later that day he stormed to The Queen Vic and began to throttle her, but was saved by Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) who stabbed him with a meat thermometer.

The women, alongside neighbours Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), buried his body in a shallow grave beneath the floor of the burnt out Bridge Street Café.

It is safe to say that Sharon has not been coping well with the whole situation, as actress Letitia Dean revealed.

‘She’s mourning the death of Keanu, of her relationship and the death of their family unit, so she’s completely overwhelmed by heartache and grief. So, the short answer is, no, she is definitely not coping!’

In her absence, a number of residents have edged dangerously close to finding out the events of the evening – Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) reported Stacey for the incident and Denise suffered a mental health breakdown which roused suspicions with her civil partner Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).

During a tense conversation, Linda revealed everything to son Johnny (Charlie Suff).

In upcoming scenes that air this week, hungover Linda is shaken by a surprise visitor – Sharon has jetted back into Albert Square and demands to know why she told Johnny.

Learning that the murder weapon has disappeared, she calls an emergency meeting with the other members of ‘The Six’.

Meanwhile, Phil threatens legal action and orders her to allow him to see Albie.

Having lost wife Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) and her sons in a bitter divorce this year, sister Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) walking off with his money and with son Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) being sent down, he’s looking to rebuild his family.

A tense row erupts between the pair, but she’s forced to agree to his demands when news reaches her that the café floor has caved in.

The women try to piece together their next plan as the Square reels from the news that Keanu’s body has been found.