After months of speculation, Stella Crawford's dark secret is finally about to be revealed in EastEnders. Actress Sophie Thompson spills the beans... We've all waited patiently to find out what's made EastEnders' Stella such a bunny boiler. And it turns out that the big mystery of Stella's past is - wait for it - that her parents love each other more than they love her! "Stella wasn't loved as a child and doesn't have a close bond with her parents. Her dad worshipped her mum and they were so absorbed in each other they didn’t have time for her." The revelation comes when Peggy discovers that Stella's parents aren't on the guest list for Stella and Phil's wedding and decides to put it right. Stella's not amused by Peggy's meddling... "Finding out Peggy has gone and invited her parents horrifies Stella. She's worried they'll embarrass her by showing up and exposing her cold upbringing. The Mitchells think family is everything and Stella doesn't have that kind of background." So why does Stella let Peggy take control? "She's the sort of person who can't say no. She can bully somebody like Ben who she perceives as weak but she can't stand up to someone like Peggy." Talking of bullying, it's no surprise that Ben's in for some more as a result... "She likes the power she has over Ben. But actually a lot of what she does to him is down to how she feels about Phil. She feels she has to win Phil's love all the time. And in her warped way she has been trying to do that through Ben." Who, unfortunately, isn't very good at all the things Stella thinks he needs to be to be loved. Like football... "Phil wanted Ben to go to football camp and Ben didn't want to go. So Stella decided he had to get good at football to keep Phil happy." Until Ben accidentally kicked the ball in her face and she scared the life out of him again! "Ben's so terrified of her that he's on the brink of telling Phil everything. And she's really rattled." Why? "Stella lives in fear of getting found out because she knows that then it will all be over with Phil and he's what she wants more than anything. She believes she's really got something with Phil and isn't going to let anybody spoil it – not her parents… not Ben!"
