Hearbroken EastEnders viewers left weeping as Mitchell matriarch hints at suicide
Peggy - played by Barbara Windsor - makes shock comment in heart to heart with son
EASTENDERS viewers were left in tears this evening as Peggy Mitchell broke the news about her terminal cancer to her son Phil.
Peggy, who has been given weeks to live, caused further upset as she hinted that she would end her own life rather than be beaten by the disease.
In highly emotional scenes Phil, played by Steve McFadden, wells up as he tells his mum: “You’re the strongest woman I know and the thought of you getting worse...”
Before he can finish his mum interject saying: “That’s why I’m not going to let it.”
And before the shows famous closing duff, duff, duff she defiantly declared: "Cancer's not going to have the last word. I am."
The words sent ripples over the Internet with many speculating what Peggy, played by Barbara Windsor, meant by the comment.
“Is Peggy planning a visit to that clinic in Switzerland? ?? #EastEnders,” asked one.
Another baffled viewer questioned: “Wait! What?! Suicide? Peggy? #EELastOrders #EastEnders.”
While someone else tweeted: “She's going to take pills and kill herself. It's gonna be like Ethel and Dot all over again #Peggy #Eastenders #F**kCancer .”
Others took to social media to share their upset about losing such an iconic character from the soap.
“I cried at every scene with Peggy and Phil tonight. #EastEnders,” wrote one lady.
And someone else remarked: “This Peggy storyline is so upsetting can't take much more of it any longer #EastEnders.”
It’s not just the fans who have found the scenes emotional – actress Barbara has also found them tough.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain about her imminent emotional departure, Barbara admitted that - 22 years after she made her first Eastenders appearance - it was extremely difficult to film her last scenes.
She said: "They were hard but I did my crying afterwards.
"I had to give this performance and she's quite tough and I hope people accept the way I played her with cancer because I have to tell all the viewers that everybody's different."
She also revealed she almost had second thoughts about letting Peggy die, saying: "I tell you what was great - when [Steve McFadden and Ross Kemp] stood either side of me that was it, I felt, 'we're back! What am I doing killing myself off? Am I mad?'"
Meanwhile Peggy’s sons Grant and Phil Mitchell are set to lock horns in upcoming episodes.
Ross Kemp - who is returning to the BBC One soap to play one half of Walford's original bad boys - has revealed his hard man alter-ego won't get on with his alcoholic brother (Steve McFadden) to begin with but he's hoping they will be able to ride the storm and stand strong as a duo again.
The 51-year-old actor teased: "They're not going to get on to start with - there's going to be an element of conflict... I hope Phil and Grant will get back together at the end though. The Mitchell brothers ride again!"
However it looks set to be a rocky road – as Grant doesn’t react well to finding out his mum’s breast cancer has spread.
Speaking about how he reacts to the shock news, Ross said: "Very badly! I think he's quite immature when it comes to stuff like that. It's going to cause some problems between him and Phil. Grant hasn't changed - you'll see more of his violent side and less of his sensitive side.
“There will be lot of raging crying and slamming of doors, but they'll muddle through. I think Phil will become the new patriarch of the Mitchells."