You’ll Be SHOCKED When Denise Fox’s Half-Brother Appears — Because It’s NOT Good News for Jack!
EastEnders have aired the arrival of newcomer Christopher Colquhoun as Darnell Larson Jr., the half-brother of Denise Fox, but Jack Branning was left disappointed
Darnell and Jack on EastEnders(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders have aired the arrival of Denise Fox’s brother, the man who is set to save her life – or is he? Newcomer Christopher Colquhoun has made his debut as Darnell Larson Jr on the soap, but he hasn’t arrived with good news for the Fox-Trueman family.
This week, Denise’s (Diane Parish) battle with leukaemia got worse and she was placed in an induced coma so that the doctors could get a ventilator to breathe for her as they searched for a stem cell donor. Since her family were not a match, they turned to the stem cell register, but Denise’s chances were looking slim.
Denise needed a stem cell transplant(Image: BBC)
As sister Kim (Tameka Empson) pointed out, people of colour are far less likely to find a match. In 2024, it was reported that patients of colour had only a 37% chance of finding a well-matched stem cell donor, compared with white patients, who have a 72% chance. According to Anthony Nolan, a stem cell donation charity: “In the UK, patients from a minority ethnic background are more likely to have a tissue type that is rare or even completely unique. This can make it harder to find a well-matched unrelated donor if they need one.”
As such, Kim and Denise’s husband Jack (Scott Maslen) were desperate to find Denise’s half-brother Darnell, who could be a match. Kim managed to find him and the three had a chat. After revealing Denise’s condition, Jack and Kim took Darnell to see his sister – which is when everything started to go wrong.
Things are about to get worse for Jack and Darnell(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Darnell was clear that he didn’t like hospitals, and kept repeating that he might not be a match whenever Kim referred to him as the person who would save Denise’s life. After Denise’s ventilator started to blare it’s alarm, Darnell freaked out and left the hospital, telling Jack and Kim that he couldn’t get tested for the stem-cell match.
Fans have already fallen in love with Darnell, taking to the internet with their praise for the actor and sympathy for his character. Many felt sorry for him when he was “dragged” to the hospital.
“Dragging him to the hospital to get him see how serious the situation is was just way too much pressure. I’m not surprised he’s run off. I certainly would have,” one said.
Jack is desperate to save Denise(Image: BBC)
Another added: “He also specifically said he really hates hospitals and they just, didn’t care? Everyone hates hospitals but the way he said it was different and they were a bit like well anyway let’s go”
Many tried to predict why Darnell had such a reaction to the hospital, with the predominant theory being that his wife may have died from cancer. “I’m thinking Darnell is a widower and his wife probably died of cancer too,” one fan said.
Another added: “I’m guessing the mother of Darnell’s daughter is dead (so he’s probably a widower) which is why Darnell is reluctant to be a donor and doesn’t like being in hospitals. Not wanting to undertake surgery that would put him at risk. But I think ultimately he or his daughter will be the donor (we all know Darnell will have a change of heart).”
