EastEnders' Kellie Bright to return as Linda Carter over Christmas period

Linda was last seen on our screens in September, fleeing Walford with her new daughter Annie.

Linda's husband Mick (Danny Dyer) helped her escape in order to avoid the identity of Annie's real father, Max Branning, being exposed.

Mick later returned to Albert Square alone, so what exactly is going on between the couple?

Linda's upcoming appearance will see her lock horns with Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) – determined to find out what is really going on between Linda and Mick, Janine decides to track Linda down and in ultimate Janine fashion, is determined to use what she discovers to her advantage.

First-look pictures from the episode show the pair sharing a tense confrontation over a bar, where Linda is working.

Bright took a leave of absence from EastEnders to go on maternity leave ahead of giving birth to her third child.

Prior to her exit, viewers saw Linda also fall pregnant, only to discover that she was too far along for the baby to be husband Mick's and that Max Branning (Jake Wood), with whom she shared a brief affair, was the father.

Max then left the Square to join his daughter Lauren in New Zealand, though he was last mentioned as being in France.

Read more about EastEnders:

• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
• Soaps Christmas 2021 TV schedule: Emmerdale, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks
• Vote now for the best ever EastEnders Christmas storyline
• EastEnders Christmas 2021 spoilers: day-by-day viewing guide

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