WALFORD BOMBSHELL: Linda and Max are heading for a shock New Year wedding – and one person could ruin it at the very last second
Despite having fallen for Clive Masters (Jason Durr), EastEnders legend Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) is struggling to move past ex Max Branning (Jake Wood), with yet another charged moment confirmed for next week.
Linda’s world was rocked last year when Max, who she controversially cheated on soulmate Mick (Danny Dyer) with six years earlier, turned up in the Square.
Initially reluctant to let him get to know Annie – the daughter he unknowingly fathered prior to his departure in 2021 – Linda eventually relented and introduced Max to his little girl, and it didn’t take long for old feelings to resurface between the two parents.
Max, however, destroyed any hope of a future they might have together when he got up to his old tricks. Linda swiftly came to the realisation that she and Max would never work as a couple, reiterating such a thing to him in a dramatic showdown which left him devastated.
The former pub landlady attempted to move on with her life and, following a dalliance with Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), she met newcomer Clive, who swept her off her feet amid their joint mission to save the community centre.
Clive is everything Linda could ask for in a man and his understanding of what it’s like to lose the love of your life saw them connect on whole other level.
After a number of dates, the pair set another in motion for next week.
Happiness on the cards for Linda – what could possibly go wrong? Well, as is pretty much always the case when someone asks such a question in Walford, the answer is Max Branning.
The Square’s resident car salesman steps in to look after Annie so that Linda may go on her date – but in doing so it becomes clear that there are still feelings between them. Linda and Max do their best to avoid said feelings but will this unexpected moment sabotage Linda’s date with Clive?
What’s more, is this unexpected spark confirmation that Linda could still be Max’s New Year bride? If we judge it by what’s going on onscreen at the moment, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) looks set to be the bride in question. But this is EastEnders we’re talking about. Could a last minute switch-up be on the cards and Linda turn out to be the next Mrs Branning?
Max, as viewers know, is set to wed a mystery Walford woman on January 1 2027, with the scenes in question having been teased in a flashforward episode earlier this year.
Linda was seen among the possible bride-to-bes, as was Cindy, who he has since embarked on a full-blown relationship with.
Max and Cindy’s dynamic has been incredibly well received by fans who reckon they are perfect for one another given their penchant for chaos and destruction.
But despite the couple being a match made in heaven, Max is cheating on Cindy with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy), who he arranges to meet with again after his little moment with Linda next week.
On the day of Cindy and Kim Fox’s (Tameka Empson) hen dos, Max wakes up in Priya’s bed! He makes an excuse when quizzed on his whereabouts by Cindy, who buys his lie – and she ropes Priya into helping with the planning!
Priya begin to feel guilty and, when Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) pops the question, she heads back to the flat to call off her affair with Max.
The question is: will Cindy find out about the affair and call off the wedding? And if so, will Linda become the bride instead?
It was confirmed to over the weekend that star Kellie Bright is set to leave EastEnders after 13 years, so will Linda find her happiness as the next Mrs Max Branning?
