EastEnders' Jo Cotton teases nefarious scheme against Kathy Beale

Despite attempting to wreck Rocky's engagement to fiancee Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), the revelations only prompted their bond to be stronger and Jo appeared to sign divorce papers before leaving with a smirk on her face when she hadn't.

This week, Jo returned and handed Rocky papers and stating that she had signed the papers and that they were now divorced.

However, Jo taunted Rocky that she still had his "boy" Jasper, later revealed to be a pet parrot.

As it was clear how much Jasper still meant to Rocky, Kathy met with Jo herself in the Queen Vic pub on Tuesday night's episode (13th June 2023) and while Jo tried to make digs about Kathy's relationship with Rocky, Kathy made clear that she was meeting her with a goal in mind: business.

Later, Kathy returned home to Rocky in possession of Jasper as she had paid Jo off with £500 to get him.

A delighted Rocky enjoyed having time with Jasper once again in front of an amused Kathy and her grandson Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell).

However, the soap teased a further twist in the tail as we then saw Jo walking through the Square on the phone to a mysterious person.

"Let's book the Maldives, yeah? I've got the deposit and there's a lot more where that came from," teased Jo.

So, who is Jo speaking to and how does she plan to get more money out of Kathy?

Of course, it seems blackmail is the most likely possibility and we would not put it past Jo to have faked a divorce from Rocky to trick him into a bigamous marriage to Kathy.

Alternatively, there may be further secrets that Jo may have to hold over Rocky as, indeed, we don't know who she is speaking to.

Could it be a new partner for Jo or could it even be a secret child with Rocky that Jasper proved to be a red herring for?

Either way, it seems we have not seen the last of Rocky's scheming first wife.

Speaking on Loose Women earlier this month, Vicki Michelle teased the future for Jo in an interview.

Confirming her appearances in the two episodes starting this week, Michelle added: "I'm hoping they're going to bring her back. They've left it open, yeah."

The actress also highlighted that she enjoyed playing the character due to the "fantastic" nasty dialogue she gets to perform that she couldn't say in real life.

With Jo waiting in the wings, will Kathy get her happy ending with Rocky?

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