EastEnders star Tanya Franks on aftermath of Rainie's devastating discovery

Tanya Franks has revealed the aftermath of Rainie Highway's devastating discovery in EastEnders.

Friday's episode (January 21) featured emotional scenes where Stuart Highway finally opened up to his wife about his breast cancer diagnosis. The episode concluded with the two crying together as they hugged.

Now looking ahead at where the storyline will take her character next, Franks spoke about how Rainie will try to cope with this new normal.

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"It was a definite shock but I think her first port of call was understanding and caring for him because Rainie knew that he must not have known how to tell her," she said. "So initially, yes, shock, but very quickly back to being there for him and consoling him. Her thoughts also went to them as a family, they've got a baby on the way. It's very much looking after the family unit."

The actress went on: "She absolutely wishes that he had told her of course but the most important thing at this point is to be there for him. Although she wishes he had told her, her main focus is to get him well."

While Rainie will absolutely stand by her husband Stuart's side throughout his cancer treatment, she will understandably have fears about the process.

"She's completely fearful as his wife," Franks said. "She's fearful for him, for the whole family unit, she can't bear the thought of the potential of him not being around.

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"She's really scared. She sees quite quickly that she has to remain the strong one and really guide him and coax him into moving this forward and getting treatment."

Upcoming episodes will see Rainie facing some reluctance to get Stuart in for an emergency consultation with his doctor because he fears getting addicted to painkillers.

"She completely understands where he is coming from with the painkillers," the star said. "She's been addicted to them herself so she totally understands the addiction context of it but her priority is to find a way through this so he can still have the surgery. They can work through any ramifications."

In the wake of mounting pressure over his health, Rainie will be horrified when Stuart suddenly goes missing at a very crucial time.

rainie highway, stuart highway, eastenders

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"She has no idea where he's gone, he's literally done a runner. He's all over the place at the moment and she's trying to keep tabs on him," Franks revealed.

"He's scooting out from under her nose and she can't predict what his next movements are going to be. She knows that he wants to avoid this surgery. Her biggest fear is the more he runs, the more time they're losing. It's about him but it's also about him being a father to a child that they are having. It's the bigger picture here.

"She's petrified. Let's not forget what she's going through right now, she doesn't know where Abi is in the world, she's got a baby growing inside a woman that she doesn't see and she's now possibly losing the father of that baby and her husband who she loves more than anything in the world. She's got three massive losses facing her right now."

EastEnders airs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One.