Looks like Mr Mitchell has met his match...
EastEnders star Mica Paris has spoken about this week’s dramatic showdown between her character Ellie Nixon and Walford hard man Phil Mitchell, and promised that Ellie will do whatever it takes to show Phil who’s boss.
Paris, 51, made her EastEnders debut at the end of September as the adoptive grandmother of Phil and Denise’s son, Raymond. She arrived at Walford General to be by Raymond’s bedside, who had been injured in a car crash in which his adoptive parents - Ellie’s son and daughter-in-law - had been killed.
Phil subsequently befriended Ellie at the hospital in a bid to see his son - the product of his and Denise’s drunken one night stand in 2016. He pretended to be visiting a child of his own, but last week Ellie found out his true identity and conned him into giving her £5,000 for Raymond’s ‘operation’, before doing a runner with the lad.
Meanwhile, in last night’s episode of the soap, Phil found out from cop Callum that Ellie was a gangster, and the car crash had been a retaliation attack. Knowing that Raymond is in danger, he’s now on a desperate mission to get back his boy and, in tonight’s episode, meets up with Ellie at The Arches. But Ellie isn’t about to kowtow to his demands.
Reveals Paris: "Ellie really wants Phil to kneel before her. She wants total control of Phil, she wants him to obey her, she wants to run it. And my god, it looks like she’s about to get it!
“It’s a power thing by any means necessary. Her attitude is: ‘I will dominate and you will do what I want, and no-one’s getting in the way of it.’
“She’s just lost her son and she’s got nothing to lose. She and the son didn’t really get on, and she’s thrust into this situation where she’s having to look after a grandson that she doesn’t really know.
“It’s interesting, because her son was really religious, and she is totally not like that. She’s like ‘Religion? You’re having a laugh!’
“She's hurting, and when Ellie is hurting and suddenly she’s in this position of great loss, she’s a little bit mad.”
More: Mica Paris reveals her EastEnders storyline brought back memories of a family tragedy
Following Ben’s advice that they fight for Raymond through the proper legal channels, Phil meets with Ellie later in the week for a second time, and tells her he’ll see her in court.
But with a criminal record as long as his arm, he’s hardly model dad material, as solicitor Ritchie reminds him when he tells her he wants to fight for full custody.
Faced with reality, Phil changes tack, and puts a wily plan into action. But will it work? Or will Ellie come out on top?
