![\"inside](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/75d3a32f-2a4e-47c4-97a2-c8e3cd5419fa.png\" "\\"Inside")
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EastEnders<\/a> spoilers follow.<\/strong><\/p>\n EastEnders viewers have been moved by Denise Fox\u2019s heartbreaking storyline over the last few months, with the iconic Albert Square character recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s episodes are particularly harrowing, as Denise\u2019s infection turns into sepsis<\/a> and she is put on a ventilator to help her breathe, to the devastation of her husband Jack and the Fox-Trueman family.<\/p>\n BBC<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong>Best streaming services<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n There is renewed hope of a life-saving stem cell transplant as Denise\u2019s long-lost sibling is tracked down<\/a>. However, with her sister Kim preparing to marry Howie next month, there is still doubt about whether she will be there to watch them tie the knot. <\/p>\n Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy<\/strong>, actor Diane Parish explains the role that her character Denise will play in the big wedding, as well teasing the introduction of her half-brother Darnell this week and the future of her and Jack\u2019s relationship.<\/p>\n Check out our video with Diane at the top of the page, then read our full DS<\/strong> Q&A below\u2026<\/p>\n Hi, Diane! Things are really scary for Denise at the moment\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n “The scenes that are coming up, especially stuff this week, it starts to get very critical<\/a>, it starts to get really tough. I think that the more the symptoms start to show themselves, not just for Denise but for the family members, the more frightened they get.<\/p>\n “And I think when you\u2019re going through anything, if you see other people\u2019s strength and fortitude when you\u2019re going through something, you tend to be able to hold it together better. I think once she starts seeing the fear in other people, then she realises that there\u2019s real facts she has to face here that this might not work out for her.<\/p>\n “So it\u2019s a little bit of a penny dropping for her, that this is seriously real, and some acceptance is going to have to kick in, as well as the fear.”<\/p>\n BBC<\/p>\n There is a bit of hope though, in the form of Denise\u2019s half-brother Darnell<\/a>. What has it been like to expand the Fox-Trueman family?<\/strong><\/p>\n “Oh, it\u2019s been great. It\u2019s been great to welcome them in. Chris [Colquhoun, who plays Darnell] is a fantastic actor, as people know, people know him from Casualty. I know him from years ago, I went to drama school with Chris.<\/p>\n “So that was quite strange seeing him \u2013 I won\u2019t say how many years later, quite a few! But he has blended in beautifully, he gets on great with Scott [Maslen, who plays Jack], Tameka [Empson, aka Kim], myself, and Rudolph [Walker, who plays Patrick].<\/p>\n “So it\u2019s going to be interesting to see, because Denise having a male sibling is a very brand-new dynamic. It\u2019s always been Kim and Denise \u2013 and it still is Kim and Denise. But we\u2019re going to have to take care of this very odd little brother now!”<\/p>\n How will Darnell come in between this dynamic \u2013 or will he?<\/strong><\/p>\n “No he won\u2019t, and at the moment, he hasn\u2019t. At first, it\u2019s difficult for him, because the circumstances that he joins in with us are quite pressurising for him. So it\u2019s very difficult for him to find his place as a sibling at first, because he\u2019s under pressure. So he doesn\u2019t particularly want to spend a lot of time with us. He\u2019s awkward. I think that sums up Darnell at first \u2013 awkward!”<\/p>\n There\u2019s also Darnell\u2019s daughter Grace\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n “I haven\u2019t worked much with Grace yet, we haven\u2019t done many scenes together. But she seems like a very sweet, intelligent character and girl. And so I\u2019m interested to see her dynamics with some of the other younger actors around the Square.<\/p>\n “She\u2019s a very mature character, she\u2019s very mature for her age. She seems to take care of her father. So I think Denise is quite intrigued by her, and she sees a little bit of Fox in that girl!”<\/p>\n BBC<\/p>\n We\u2019ve also got Kim\u2019s wedding coming up<\/a>. What can you say about Denise\u2019s role in this?<\/strong><\/p>\n “Kim\u2019s desperate for Denise to attend her wedding, and I don\u2019t think she\u2019s completely on board with going ahead with it as planned, because something\u2019s missing for her. For Denise, she just wants her sister to have an amazing day, she just wants to be a part of it somehow. So for her, it\u2019s like, \u2018go and do it, I want you to do it, it\u2019s going to make me happy if you\u2019re happy.\u2019<\/p>\n “Because there is that thing where that\u2019s your vicarious joy. It comes from others, it can\u2019t come from you stuck in a hospital ward with tubes everywhere and feeling nauseous and grotty.<\/p>\n “Seeing Kim look beautiful and marry the love of her life is everything to her. Because Denise loves Howie \u2013 he\u2019s done some things wrong, but she thinks he\u2019s lovely! She thinks he\u2019s perfect for Kim. So she\u2019s delighted for it to happen.”<\/p>\n After a few bumps in the road, Denise and Jack are solid as a couple now. Will that continue in the coming weeks and months?<\/strong><\/p>\n “People forget vows are ying and yang, this and that, it\u2019s for good and for bad, for better and for worse. And Jack and Denise, they are the emblem of that kind of marriage \u2013 for better, for worse.<\/p>\n “This is part of the worse, and they will stick it out, they ride it. It\u2019s rollercoaster, whatever it is with Denise and Jack. But they really are exploring an area of their relationship that they haven\u2019t explored yet, which is full commitment and deep love.<\/p>\n “No matter what, whether she\u2019s being sick, whether she\u2019s lost her hair, whether she doesn\u2019t get to spend the night with him or have meals with him round the table, she\u2019s his wife, and he\u2019s her husband. I think it\u2019s beautiful that we showcase that in EastEnders \u2013 that marriages work, even when there\u2019s all these affairs! It should last, I hope.”<\/p>\n For free and confidential support and information on blood cancer and life after a diagnosis, contact Blood Cancer UK <\/strong>online<\/strong><\/a>, by phone on 0808 2080 888 or via email at support@bloodcancer.org.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"patrick](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e94b78aa-cc98-4074-ad43-285a115b6525.jpg\" "\\"Patrick")
<\/p>\n![\"darnell](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dc2d2efe-4642-4bdc-a8c7-3cc76021ce46.jpg\" "\\"Darnell")
<\/p>\n![\"jack](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/710b29bd-b8f3-4262-b45c-876c7f37b6b4.jpg\" "\\"Jack")
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