EastEnders’ Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) is the nation’s new boyfriend.
When Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) discovered that she was pregnant, mere weeks after her first bunk up with Vinny and even less time after the pair decided to ‘see how things go’, she was hit with a myriad of feelings.
‘The reality of potentially becoming a disabled young mum is overwhelming and hard to take in,’ star Kitty Castledine said. ‘She goes through waves of emotion, just like many new mums do when they find out they’re unexpectedly pregnant.’
Despite initially clashing with dad, Jack (Scott Maslen), Kitty soon came to realise that she had a strong support network around her when he pledged his support, as did cousins Lauren and Oscar (Jacqueline Jossa and Pierre Counihan-Moullier).
Upon discovering that Penny had his bun in her oven, however, Vinny himself proved to be the biggest support of all.
Mature, caring, and encouraging Penny to put her feelings first, Vinny also showed his vulnerability, admitting the strength of his feelings for Penny, while also verbalising how nervous he is at mucking things up between them and both Penny, and the viewers, fell for him.
Buoyed by his kindness and honesty, Penny suggested they attend a doctors appointment together and, further bolstered when he stood up for her against a patronising doctor, the two decided that they’d continue with the pregnancy, together.
Next week sees Vinny eager to tell his mum, Suki (Balvinder Sopal) of the news.
Despite his best attempts, though, the harried businesswoman is too busy to listen to him yapping and calls time on the conversation before he can inform her of Penny’s pregnancy.
Enter Jack and his massive foot, which lands squarely in the proverbial ‘it’.
Unaware they know nothing of the situation, he invites both Suki and her wife, Eve (Heather Peace) over for a family lunch to discuss the baby, causing Suki to crash out. Hard.
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Never one to mince her words, she instantly goes on the offence, leading to a series of heated words between herself, Vinny and Penny as they come to blows over the baby.
At the end of the week, Penny puts the period at the end of the sentence for Suki: she and Vinny are having this baby, whether she likes it or not. In fact, she couldn’t give a toss about having Suki’s blessing.
Can Suki bring herself on board and support her baby boy as he begins his journey toward fatherhood?
Or will this strike another fracture into the Panesar clan?