Penny Branning’s shock secret revealed as she returns to EastEnders

EASTENDERS newcomer Penny Branning will reveal a huge secret in a brand new storyline as she heads back to Walford after 16 years away.

Upcoming scenes will see cousins Lauren and Penny Branning in Paris together when they make the decision to go back to Walford.

After they arrive on the square, Lauren is desperate to be reunited with Louie and Peter manages to convince her to stay longer.

Lauren goes to see Penny and check she’s okay, but things get worse when she discovers Peter knew Penny’s secret associated with drugs and didn’t tell her.

Lauren and Penny start flat hunting, but Peter puts a spanner in the works when he forbids them from letting Louie live with someone caught up in the drug world.

Penny launches a charm offensive on Peter to try to convince him she’s a good person.

Actress Kitty Castledine has joined the line-up of the BBC One soap as she was announced to take on the role of Penny Branning, who is none other than Jack Branning's daughter.

Penny was last physically seen in the Square in 2008, while she was struggling to warm up to the copper's then-girlfriend Ronnie Mitchell.

And while she was mentioned in the long-running show sporadically throughout the years, Penny was still staying away from Walford, mostly due to her lack of mobility as she is paralysed from the waist down and relies on a wheelchair.

The pair may be returning to a devastated Jack Branning whose marriage with Denise Fox has been steadily heading for the rocks for several months.

Can his daughter Penny and niece Lauren help him?

Meanwhile, Linda is terrified that Lauren will discover the truth about Annie’s paternity, but Whitney promises not to tell.

However, as Lauren and Louie get into the taxi, Sonia stops her to reveal that she’s got another sister in Walford.

How will Lauren react when she learns Annie Carter is her sister?

EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.