EastEnders’ New Year flashforward episode revealed one of Walford’s residents to be pregnant, and fans are now sure that woman is Chelsea Fox – but Max Branning isn’t the father, despite waking up next to her
EastEnders’ Chelsea ‘is pregnant at New Year’ – but Max isn’t the father(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders fans are sure Chelsea Fox is the pregnant woman in the New Year flashforward after recent scenes – but Max Branning isn’t the father. During Monday’s episode (6 April), Chelsea seemed to get close to another Walford resident: George Knight.
George (Colin Salmon) started the episode at the hospital with Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington), who had just given birth to their daughter Ivy. As Ivy was premature, she needed to go to the intensive care unit and both George and Nicola struggled to deal with their daughter’s health issues.
This led to George connecting with Chelsea (Zaraah Abrahams), who had her own experiences with giving birth to a premature baby. Sensing that George was struggling, Chelsea went to talk to him and the two shared a touching moment.
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George and Nicola had their baby(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
But fans are now sure this means Chelsea must be the pregnant woman in the New Year’s flashforward. In the episode, which takes place on 1 January 2027, a mystery pregnant woman was seen in bed with Max Branning (Jake Wood). Chelsea was seen later in the episode, getting ready for Max’s wedding, with a towel around her, hiding whether or not she was pregnant. Nicola and George were also seen in the episode, and Nicola seemed angry with Chelsea.
“I have a horrible feeling George and Chelsea are going to have it off which is such a shame because it was a lovely scene today between them,” said one fan.
Another added: “Chelsea screen time at last! I really enjoyed her scene with George, I might be overthinking it, but I’m hoping nothing happens between them, given how annoyed Nicola seemed when he asked about her in the flashforward.”
A third added above a picture of George and Chelsea: “Just throwing it out there… Nicola hates Chelsea by New Years Day.” A fourth predicted that Chelsea and George might have a baby together: “I had the same thought too! Also, this might be a stretch but what if Chelsea and George have a brief affair whilst Ivy and Nicola are in hospital and Chelsea ends up pregnant? She could then be the pregnant lady in bed with Max, hiding from Nicola?”
Chelsea was wearing a towel that hid if she was pregnant(Image: BBC)
One fan agreed: “Omggg I had the exact same thought and our Chels does love men that are taken.” While another said they thought that even if Chelsea and George didn’t have an affair, Nicola would think that they did: “I can see Nicola falling for George getting the wrong end of the stick thinking George and Chelsea are together when it’s actually Max and Chelsea that sleep together hence the Flashforward.”
EastEnders fans have also been surprised by Laura Doddington, the actress who plays Nicola, and her real accent. Laura joined the BBC soap in 2024 as the former wife of newcomer Mitchell, Teddy (Roland Manookian) and mother to Harry (Elijah Holloway) and Barney (Lewis Bridgeman).
In the comments beneath a TikTok interview with Laura, fans were quick to pick up on the fact that she speaks without a trace of a cockney accent in real life. One stunned viewer exclaimed: “Oh my god she sounds so different.”
Reinforcing the sentiment, another viewer concurred: “Her natural accent is so posh showing what an amazing actress she is so natural. She imitates the cockney accent marvellously.”
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