EastEnders fans will be left screaming at their TVs as rapist Lewis Butler is set to develop feelings for Ben Mitchell's husband Callum Highway.
Lewis and Callum are set to become closer, with the bar manager feeling a connection and "chemistry" towards the police officer.
This news will horrify fans, who have watched Ben crumble over the past few weeks in devastating scenes after he was raped by Lewis.
Callum does not yet know the truth about what happened to Ben, believing that his husband just cheated on him.
Speaking to the Mirror on the British Soap Awards red carpet, actor Aidan O'Callaghan, who plays Lewis, was quizzed on Callum potentially being his next victim.
"In terms of Lewis, a lot of people say he's attacked before but I think the way Lewis is reacting to this one, it's his first time where he may have sort of realised it," he explained. "There might have been ambiguity before with previous partners. But as an actor I love working with Tony [Clay] who plays Callum.
"We really felt there was a connection but with Lewis, he's one way when he's with Callum and he's one way [when he's with Ben]. He's very manipulative and multi-faceted in terms of his personality."
Asked whether Lewis could potentially develop feelings for Callum, he said: "Yes, on the surface Lewis is all fun and games and flirtatious. But there are some beautiful scenes I've had with Tony where he really opens up about what he wants is what they have and whether subconsciously the jealousy was blinding him in the moment. There's added insecurity there.
"But I think sometimes as an actor you don't expect the chemistry to be there and when me and Tony were acting off each other, we had that chemistry. It's mad - when you don't plan it and you have it.
"The best thing about when you're in a soap is that you can go with those feelings like, 'Oh, I didn't see this side to the character!' I definitely think it's more of a friendship thing but on the surface it's flirty, he flirts with everyone!"
Opening up about playing Lewis as a character, he said that it had been "fascinating" and that he had really wanted viewers to like him at the start to make the contrast all the more horrifying.
"I really wanted the audience to fall in love with Lewis and maybe they did," he said. "I was really excited to see where the story goes and for them to go on this journey, but you kind of have to forget what's happening and then the spoilers came out and that was like... I think everyone was starting to look and double check what Lewis was doing.
"I think that's what makes the story interesting because it makes people conflicted. It was important to get it to the point of sexual consent being fluid as opposed to 'here's the villain guy'.
"The way I was looking at Lewis he's like a door and sometimes the door is open when the shame is bubbling through, but he doesn't like what that feels like. If he accepts that what he did was totally wrong - his career, his job, everything goes out the window.
"The door is open and then the shame is creeping through, but other moments it's shut - everyone else is wrong which, in his own head, is a bit messed up. But yeah, it was really nice that the directors gave me that bit of freedom to play around that.
"The different episodes show that how far the door is opening and is he letting the shame come through? He gets defensive with the shame and stuff like that... shame is a big part of this character."
Speaking about how he and the team had conceived Lewis' background, he said: "I've done lots of workshops with the writers and the story team in terms of where we thought his story was written for the nuances.
"We decided together that he came out and moved to the UK, good relationship with his granny, had a really bad relationship with his family back home and he's been working in pubs in Soho for many years. He's a bit of a party whore, really confident [but] there's a bit of insecurity there.
"Even though he's shown he's all party, there's insecurity there because he hides in his charm, hides in his fun and I think it was nice to show that side of him as well. Then the insecurity develops because he's been thrown out of his house, he's constantly looking for validation."
*British Soap Awards is available to watch on ITV Hub
