EastEnders fans were horrified as Frankie Lewis was sexually assaulted by a stranger in a club.
The BBC One soap aired some devastating scenes tonight, as Frankie was approached by a man on a night out with her friends. She rejected his advances but he didn't want to take no for an answer and continued to pursue her.
As she decided to leave the club, Lola insisted she should come with her - but she said she would be fine. As she left, she hopped onto the busy underground train before realising the horrible man from earlier was sat opposite her.
He then came and sat next to her, glaring at her and whispering in her ear. She wasn't able to hear what he was saying and couldn't read his lips as he was leaning so close to her, but she got an uneasy feeling.
Uncomfortable, she shouted 'no' at him and got off the Tube at the next stop. When she was by the ticket gates, she checked to see if she was being followed and feeling safe now she couldn't see him, she decided to continue with her journey.
However, he was behind her and followed her out of the station as she made her way home.
Taking to Twitter, fans hailed Rose's acting - but shared their horror at how real this was for so many women.
"That was such a good episode. The scenes with Frankie were really powerful and scary to watch. The little details like the way she clutched her keys as she was leaving is so realistic and the horrifying reality for many. # EastEnders," one wrote.
A second added: "That episode was absolutely gutwrenching. especially frankie’s sl. no woman should be scared of going out with a few mates or walking home. it's horrible," as a third shared: "the frankie scenes are so hard to watch but so well done."
"I've seen people saying that Frankie's friendship group is at fault. But tbh we should be able to spend time alone in a club, get the train alone and walk alone in the dark without being harassed. We shouldn't have to take those precautions in the first place," a fourth penned as they commented on the horrific and dark scenes as Frankie made her way home from the tube station.
Another viewer shared online of the heartbreaking scenes: "Frankie getting harassed like that has stressed me out watching it, no one should go through that. Rose is amazing with these storylines #EastEnders."
*If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
