EastEnders favourite Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) could potentially be making her way back to Walford after a new teaser spoiler hinted at her explosive comeback.
The fierce matriarch has been sorely missed by fans since she left the Square nearly a year ago following her son Mick Carter's (Danny Dyer) devastating Christmas exit.
A lot has gone on since Shirley's departure, including the fact that her rapist son Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) returned to the Square after seven years.
Heartbroken Shirley went to live with her daughter Carly Wicks (Kellie Shirley) last year and it was later revealed that she had reunited with Dean after his victim Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) saw him in the background of a picture Carly had sent her of Shirley.
However, when Dean returned to Walford and confronted Linda, he issued a worrying update about Shirley.
Dean claimed that Shirley had a mental breakdown after the loss of Mick and her sister Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) and had been placed in a psychiatric institution, unable to speak.
He also blamed Shirley's spiralling mental health on Linda stopping contact with her and that her breakdown caused Carly to cut Shirley off again.
Linda asked Dean if Shirley was coming back to Walford and he alleged that now she knows the truth about Linda, she wouldn't go within a hundred miles of her after he convinced Shirley that he didn't rape Linda.
Given the twisted villain's lying past, it's possible that he could be lying about Shirley in order to terrorise Linda.
However, if this EastEnders teaser spoiler is anything to go by, it could be about time for Shirley to return to the Square and ease fans' concerns.
For Monday, December 11 the teaser spoiler reads: "Things go from bad to worse for Keanu, and Dean receives an unexpected visitor."
Could Dean's unexpected visitor be his mum Shirley? Although, there is someone else it could be — his daughter Jade Green (Amaya Edward).
Dean revealed that the reason he came back to Walford was because Jade, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, is very ill in hospital and required a transplant.
He insisted that he needed to be around so he could go to her medical appointments.
Given that she is in a hospital nearby, it's possible that Jade could also be on the cards as her dad's unexpected visitor. We'll have to wait and see!
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
