Nick's loathing for Gail's new love interest Michael is to intensify…and an ice-cream van is going to take the brunt of Nick's anger.

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When Nick arrives home and spots his mum kissing Michael, he sees red and vandalises an ice-cream van that Gail and her boyfriend have been cleaning up.

Later in the week, Audrey calls an urgent meeting to help heal the rift in the Platt house. But will Nick end up accepting Michael or will Gail be forced to choose between her family and the new man in her life. Actress Helen Worth tells us more...

So, how serious is Gail about Michael?
Gail’s feelings towards Michael are growing rather quickly the more time she spends with him, and so is the mutual attraction between them. As soon as she got to know him and he told her his backstory her opinion changed somewhat and she was able to understand his situation. He’s a very gentle man and Gail really takes to that. Gail enjoys helping Michael get himself back on his feet and likes to feel wanted and needed by someone.

And what’s with the ice-cream van that Gail helps Michael with?
Michael’s friend tells him he might be able to sort him some work out, so when Michael turns up at the house in an old rusty ice-cream van, he tells Gail that this was what his friend meant. Michael’s slightly sheepish about it and thinks it’s pointless even trying to get a business started because it’s in such bad condition.

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But Gail encourages him to go for it and offers to help him clean it up so it’s good as new. I think Gail sees an opportunity again to not only help Michael but also spend time with him, while doing something that will help him out in the long run.

Is she saddened at the way Nick has taken against Michael?
Yes, it does upset her. She’s not had much luck with men and Gail really wishes Nick could see that she’s trying to do something positive by helping Michael get his life back on track. Nick really struggles to understand why she’s helping out the man who tried to burgle them. More than anything, Gail’s shocked at how angry and frustrated it has made Nick. She probably expected it from David, but not from Nick, as he’s usually the more rational one of the two.

Gail has stood by her sons through thick and thin. How’s she feeling about their dislike of Michael?
Gail’s very upset by it all. She’s exasperated by their inability to accept Michael and accept that she’s trying to help him get his life back together. Gail finds their behaviour humiliating and she feels as though they don’t trust her to make her own decisions. She wants them to be able to see how happy Michael is making her, but they can’t seem to come to terms with it.

Tell us what happens when Nick and Michael square up to one another?
After Gail and Michael have cleaned the ice-cream van, Nick appears and starts throwing insults at Michael. As soon as Gail begins to defend Michael, Nick becomes even angrier and starts to tear a strip off his mum as well. Michael then obviously jumps in to defend Gail and, at that point, the two men end up challenging each other. Gail’s beginning to reach the end of her tether at this point - Nick seems to be growing more hostile towards Michael as time goes on.

Nick sees them kissing and really sees red – what does he do?
Nick comes back to the house and spies Gail and Michael in the garden, enjoying a bottle of wine and kissing. It completely pushes him over the edge and, as he leaves, he spots Michael’s ice-cream van and vandalises it. Gail is absolutely devastated and completely humiliated - she knows full well who is behind it. Gail confronts Nick and he admits to it and tells her it’s because he saw them kissing in the garden.

Audrey summons the family to sort out their differences – does this make any difference?
Not in the slightest. Gail can’t understand why Nick is being so hostile and both Nick and David think Gail is being foolish and that Michael will inevitably take her for a ride. Nick refuses to come round and remains hostile towards Michael. Gail is really upset by it all and wishes that her family could just be happy for her for once.

Would Gail choose Michael over her family?
By this point, she realises that it’s going to be impossible for her to be with Michael if her family are going to be so against it. She has to bring herself to tell Michael that they can’t be together which is a really sad moment for Gail. In the past, she’s had so many failed relationships, but this time she sees no reason why it shouldn’t work with Michael - if only her family weren’t so opposed to the idea.

Does she tell the family that she’s ended things with him?
Yes. After the initial sadness of ending the relationship, she becomes absolutely furious and has it out with Nick in the Bistro. She tells Nick that now she’s finished things with Michael, she can be just as unhappy as he is.

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Can she understand why they’re so protective of Gail? After all, she does have a poor relationship record…
Yes she can. She knows that she’s not had the best of luck in the past and that her sons are, at the heart of things, just looking out for her. But, at the same time, Gail’s an adult and she’d like to think she could trust her own judgement after everything she’s been through. She also knows that Michael is a nice man and wishes Nick would take the time to realise that Michael’s not had an easy ride.

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