EastEnders fans are convinced Gina Knight's ex is past character

Could Dean actually be Gina's cheating ex, discussed on-screen this week?

Well, let's unpack this theory right now. Gina (Francesca Henry) has just returned from a trip to former home Marbella with sister Anna (Molly Rainford) and their father George (Colin Salmon).

There, Gina met up with a man she assumed she would be reuniting with - only to learn that he was now with a girl who worked at George's bar. And we never learned his name...

One fan wondered if a possible connection between Dean and Gina could bring him into 'The Six's' orbit - that's Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth).

Linda, you'll remember, was raped by brother-in-law Dean, but he got away with his crime, fleeing Walford in 2016.

Yet during the episode that aired the flash-forward, a present-day scene showed a horrified Linda finding a social media picture of Dean with the mum who had disowned him, Shirley Carter (Linda Henry).

We haven't seen Shirl since late last year, and it's always been promised that she will be back. As for Dean, however, the only thing driving us to suspect his return is that he might be back just to be killed off - facing justice in another form.

But back to this latest theory. Could it be possible that Dean was dating, or at least flirting with, Gina in Spain? He was in England back in February - when Gina had not yet moved to Walford. Yet Dean could merely have been visiting his relatives before flying back to Marbella.

However, there's another issue: Gina's stepmum-to-be, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), is also Linda's mother. She met Dean, and it's likely that she would have met Gina's boyfriend when living with the Knights in Marbella.

Therefore, as another fan points out, Dean would never have got close enough to Gina for anything to happen between them.

Or would he? Given that Elaine didn't join George and the girls on their latest trip, and we don't even know whether Elaine met the man Gina had eyes for, there's still a chance that Dean went incognito and dodged Elaine's radar.

The same fan suggested that perhaps Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb could have been Gina's man - with many convinced that Fats is still alive and well.

Now, this could be interesting, given that Fatboy appeared in a flashback with Gina's mum Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins). It would be another way of connecting Fatboy to this storyline, while also bringing another beloved character back from the dead.

But would Fats be so disrespectful to women? We think not. Whereas Dean is a known evil, and was always a womaniser, even before we knew what he was truly capable of.

And, as mentioned above, Dean being Gina's mystery man would be a strong way to pull him back into the show - even if it seems like far too big of a coincidence!

Anyone affected by the subjects mentioned above can find support by visiting Rape Crisis, or calling our 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222. You can visit Refuge for more information and contact 0808 2000 247 for support. Help can also be found at The Hideout.

Read more:

• Is Dean Wicks the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories
• EastEnders casts Ravi Gulati's long lost love - and his secret daughter
• 6 EastEnders spoilers: Nugget goes missing
• EastEnders’ Lacey Turner reveals new Christmas murder mystery theory
• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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