EastEnders fans left in floods of tears as Daniel Cook passes away in heartbreaking scene

Jean asks Daniel about his bucket list

Viewers found Daniel's death hard to deal with...

EastEnders viewers were left in floods of tears last night when Jean Slater's beloved boyfriend Daniel Cook finally lost his battle with cancer.

During the emotional episode, the sweet character, played by Adrian Edmondson, died beside Jean as they sat together on Arthur Fowler's bench in Albert Square.

His death came after Jean, who has also suffered from the disease, was given the all clear at her oncology appointment.

As the loved up pair sat together wearing matching hats, Jean declared that he was the "love of her life" and promised to live her life to the full.

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Daniel Cook in EastEnders

Last night was Daniel's final episode. (Image credit: BBC / Jack Barnes)

She then turned to face Daniel, he could be seen with his eyes shut and looking pale.

When Jean realised he had passed, she burst into tears and began sobbing on the bench.

Having watched the heart wrenching scene, viewers took to social media to share their reactions.

Many announced that they were crying over the hard to watch moment, while others were gutted to see Daniel go, praising him for his lovely relationship with Jean.

'#EastEnders got me crying over Daniel’s death,' penned one.

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'OMG no Daniel, of all that’s happened, this has left me heartbroken! Poor Jean I just loved them together why couldn’t they have had longer? she deserved a happy ending more than anyone #EastEnders@GillianWrightUK is just absolutely beautiful as Jean, exquisite, I love her,' penned another.

'Okay, Jean and Daniel’s matching bobble hats broke me tonight. Serious lip wobble moment. Best storyline in #EastEnders over the last few months, will miss Daniel a ridiculous amount,' chipped in a third. 

A fourth emotional watcher added, 'WOW, what an emotional episode on Eastenders! Jean & Daniel's storyline has been a real rollercoaster of emotions. Fantastic acting from Gillian Wright & Ade Edmondson. Daniel you will be missed.'

EastEnders continues tonight at 8.30pm on BBC One. 

Caitlin Elliott

Caitlin is Junior News Editor for woman&home, covering all things celeb, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. 


Having set her sights on becoming a magazine journalist when she was a child, Caitlin took on work experience stints at local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree and has interviews with celebs, reality stars and the Archbishop of Canterbury under her belt (of course, she couldn't resist asking him about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry). After leaving uni, she dabbled in fashion PR as a Press Assistant for Topshop before becoming a part of the Now team at Future for her first real job in the world of online journalism, joining the ranks as a Digital Writer in 2019. Caitlin went on to add the likes of Woman, GoodtoKnow, WhatToWatch and woman&home to her writing repertoire before moving on to her current role. 


When she's not working you'll find Caitlin sipping bubbles at brunch with her besties, thinking about her next iced coffee, trying to close the rings on her Apple Watch, scrubbing up on her royal family knowledge or scrolling through the Zara app, trying to resist tapping 'check out' again.