EastEnders spoilers: Linda Carter takes drastic action to save her marriage!

Linda tries to explain how she's feeling in EastEnders

EastEnders spoilers - Linda Carter is desperate to get through to husband Mick Carter, Ian Beale is left fearing for his life yet again and Jay Mitchell has some explaining to do

Linda Carter makes a dangerous move in her bid to shake up Mick Carter in the Christmas Eve episode of EastEnders (8.15 pm, see our TV Guide for full listings).

Linda Carter is miserable ever since walking out on hubby Mick Carter. Although he’s been shutting her out for weeks, she still loves him. 

Mick has been keeping the real reason behind his dark depression a secret from Linda, unable even to explain to himself the feelings over what happened to him in the care home. 

Despite turning to Max Branning for comfort, Linda doesn’t want to give up on Mick, as their relationship has survived many traumas over the years. She tries to explain to Mick how pushed out and hurt she’s been feeling, but it doesn’t shake him out of his mood. 

Feeling increasingly distressed, alcoholic Linda grabs a bottle of whisky, taunting him that she’ll take a drink. She is desperate for her husband to come to his senses and fight for her. 

Will her attempt to shake him out of his depression work or is the seemingly unsinkable Carter marriage over for good?

Tina is distraught in EastEnders

Will Tina Carter do a runner from the Square?

Meanwhile, Shirley Carter is telling Tina Carter that she needs to do a runner from the Square now that she’s in the frame for Ian Beales’s attack. A terrified Tina explains all to Mick. She’s in such a bad way that he is grimly determined to do anything he can to help his aunt.

Ian Beale has been behaving - by his own admission - like a snake in the grass. As well as winding up half the Square, including pushing one mysterious person to try to kill him, he even turned his family against him. 

With Christmas about to arrive, he unexpectedly gets an attack of conscience and it dawns on him what an awful person he’s been. Although his revelation is mainly to save his own skin and convince whoever is stalking him to back off! 

Vowing to make some apologies, he first turns to sons Bobby Beale and Peter Beale and he begs them to hear him out. 

As night descends on the Square, the residents gather for a festive celebration. But at the end of the evening everyone is left in shock and a chilling taunt on Ian Beale leaves him desperate to find a hiding place, fearful that this time he really will lose his life…

Honey tries to explain to Billy in EastEnders

Honey Mitchell does her best to explain herself to a shocked Billy Mitchell!

Billy Mitchell is in utter shock after walking in on Jay Mitchell kissing his ex-missus and mother of his children Honey Mitchell! He feels completely betrayed by Jay, who he has always treated as a son. Horrified that Billy witnessed the moment between him and Honey, Jay desperately tries to explain. But a furious Billy storms out.

EastEnders continues on BBC1 on Christmas Day at 9.10 pm.

Rachel Lucas
Forward Planning Deputy Manager

Rachel is a soaps and TV writer for WhatToWatch.com, soaps podcaster and resident soap expert for UK TV listings magazines What's On TV and TV Times. After graduating with an art and design degree from Birmingham City University, she found her true calling in all things soap and has been writing about them for magazines and websites for over 20 years. A self-confessed soap addict, she's always had a great love of all the UK and Aussie soaps and owns everything from a Neighbours 1990 Annual to a DVD box set of classic Corrie episodes to prove it.