EastEnders fans are gearing up for possibly one of the most emotional onscreen deaths next week. Lola's friends and family will gather around to say their goodbyes before she passes away following a terminal cancer battle.
The BBC soap will undoubtedly have people across the country in floods of tears, which comes after Lola was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and was later told that her illness would not be curable.
We reported previously how her treatment options had been exhausted, despite the best efforts of Ben Mitchell.
And now EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw has shared details of what's to come for Lola's loved ones following her tragic death.
Speaking at an EastEnders press event reported by DigitalSpy, Chris explained: "I don't think any of them will be the same again – Billy, Jay, Lexi, Honey. It'll obviously have devastating consequences for the family.
"Lola has been in this position where she's become aware of what's ahead, so she's given some certain requests to the family. She's asked Jay to make sure that he always talks to Lexi about her, and she's put things in place for the immediate future.
"But that may not last forever. It'll be a difficult process and obviously it's a sad ending for Lola – she won't be there for the rest of her family."
He continued: "Billy, Jay, Lexi and Ben all pull together and are there for each other in the immediate future, but that won't last forever. Jay will find friendship with another key person."
BBC Executive producer Chris Clenshaw also discussed the show's decision in choosing Lola for this storyline, knowing it would ultimately end with Danielle Harlod, who plays the character, leaving the soap.
He said: "It wasn't a decision that we took lightly. We discussed it for many months, and we wanted to make sure that it was the right decision.
"The charities that we've worked with have been overwhelmed by the awareness that the story has raised and Danielle [Harold, who plays Lola] has been speaking to people directly.
"None of us want to say goodbye to the character, and none of us want to say goodbye to Danielle, but I think that's the character Danielle has created. She is so well loved, and you can only really tell a story like this with a character that is so well loved."
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One and you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.
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