Will Carol (Lindsey Coulson) and David's (Michael French) wedding day go without a hitch? This is EastEnders - of course it won't! Next week's episodes will see chaos descend on the Butcher household as the big day arrives, but Bianca (Patsy Palmer) is still unsure about her Dad's intentions.

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The groom's quest for 'something blue' takes him away from Walford, while Carol asks a reluctant Liam (James Forde) if he will walk her to the register office. As time presses on, there's no sign of David and Bianca and Liam start to fear that he's fled. So will David return in time for the wedding? Here, Lindsey Coulson reveals all about the day's tensions...

How is Carol feeling about her wedding?
She’s excited. She and David have gone and set a date at the registry office and she just wants to get it all sorted. She was in hospital after collapsing and could have died, so I think she’s really excited and they are closer than ever.

On the day of her wedding, Carol’s sitting in the car and there’s no sign of David – what’s going through her mind at that point?
As time goes on, she thinks he’s not going to show up and she gets angry and feels stupid. She’s thinking: of course he was going to do this, it’s what he does. She feels angry at herself more than anything.

Do you think she trusts David?
Yes, I think she does. There’s no reason for her not to at the moment because she doesn’t know anything about Nikki. She’s been at her lowest ebb with the cancer and he’s still there for her, so they’ve got an incredible trust at the moment.

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What is it about David – why has he always been the man for her?
I think it’s just her heart and the history between them. She can’t help herself - the feeling that she has with him is too good.

But how would she react if she found out about what happened with Nikki a few months ago?
She’d feel let down and angry with herself for allowing herself to open up her heart to him again. But she's also fighting cancer, so that makes you a different person and I don’t think she's got a lot of energy.

What impact has Carol’s cancer had on her desire to marry David?
It’s made her want to marry him more, because life’s too short. She’s worried about the children and knows if he were around, he would look after them. I think she also just feels, why not? And she feels very loved by him.

Recently, we saw Carol hospitalised after collapsing – do you think she’s pushing herself too much?
Probably – it’s just because she wants to work and be in control. The impact of the chemo has taken her by surprise. I think it does with anybody who’s at that point.

Did you ever think the day would come when Carol would be marrying David?
No, not really. But as David’s got older he’s realised that what he wants is not just some dolly bird. He wants someone who knows and understands him.

Can you give us a tease as to what’s to come for the wedding?
Well, it’s an EastEnders wedding, so there’s bound to be drama. The filming was bizarre because I looked so different. I had a different wig and, for the first time in a long time, I had makeup on. I felt like a different character, so that was slightly unsettling as an actor.

Did you have any input into Carol’s dress?
Yes, I did. We decided that she would have the fairy-tale dress without it being too silly. But actually, she didn’t know she was going to be well, she didn’t know she was going to survive this cancer, so she felt that she went for something more traditional than she might well have done. She’s gone for quite a traditional look really and that’s quite poignant in itself.

What’s it like having Natalie Cassidy back on the show?
It’s fantastic. I absolutely love working with Natalie. She is a true professional - we have such a lovely bond. I’ve known her since she was ten. I’m really grateful to be spending more time with her.

How does it feel to be up for Best Actress at the British Soap Awards?
It’s lovely. It’s a real compliment and I’m glad people have enjoyed what I’ve been trying to do with this particular story. It’s really nice to be acknowledged. But the whole cast are doing such wonderful work at such speed, you want all of them to be up. I don’t think you can single one person out, to be honest. But it’s rather lovely and thank you to everyone that’s voted and is still voting.

And how has it been playing Carol’s storyline?
It’s been hard for my family to watch because even though it’s Carol, it’s also stil lsort of me. It’s quite incredible being bald, it’s fairly freeing as an actress. And looking like a different actress with wigs. I’m just really pleased that the story and the script and everybody involved with it have all collaborated really well. That’s been a real joy.

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It’s important to try and make the story truthful and to show how Carol gets on with her life. So it’s been a pleasure, but a strange pleasure. Hopefully, some people have identified with it.

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