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Returning Clare absolutely broken by ‘cruel’ move from Julie in EastEnders | Soaps
After almost 18 years away from EastEnders, Clare returns to find her stepdad Nigel battling advanced dementia, and she’s left absolutely shattered by what she sees. But alongside the heartbreak is something else: a lingering feeling that she’s been brought back too late.
Clare arrives after just hearing about Nigel’s condition for the first time. The man she once adored barely recognises her, and the opportunity she’s clearly been holding onto for years, to say sorry, to make things right, feels like it’s slipped through her fingers.
And in Clare’s mind, that timing doesn’t feel accidental.
As Gemma Bissix explains: ‘Clare has always wanted to come back and see him, and when she does find out he’s got dementia, I don’t think she realises how advanced it is. Clare feels like Julie has done it to get back at her; she feels like Julie has only called her at this late stage as a punishment. In Clare’s mind, it does feel quite cruel because I think Clare really wanted the chance to apologise to her dad.’
Clare and Nigel have been estranged for years, and that distance weighs heavily on her. The last time viewers saw her, she was causing chaos and leaving a trail of destruction behind her. But beneath the bravado, there’s always been something much sadder driving her behaviour.
‘The last time we saw her in the show, she was a bit of a maneater, and a bit more of a con artist, and those actions probably came from her inner trauma, and having no one to discipline her because her mum died when she was young, and when Nigel met Julie, I think Clare felt really pushed out. All Clare wants is the love of her dad, and she can see that she might not have that again, and she’s missed her opportunity, so it’s really heartbreaking for her.’
It’s that sense of missed opportunity that makes her return so painful to watch. Clare isn’t just facing Nigel’s illness; she’s confronting years of regret.
Of course, there’s tension with Julie. Old wounds don’t magically disappear. But with Nigel’s health deteriorating so rapidly, both women are forced to reassess what really matters. Any bitterness has to take a back seat.
There is, however, an unexpected source of comfort.
Clare initially clashes with Lexi, dismissing her as an interfering kid. But that quickly changes. As Gemma reveals: ‘On first impression, she thinks Lexi is a bit of an interfering child, but later they bond, and Clare realises that they were the same age when they both lost their mum, and I think there’s a really poignant connection between them both. It’s a link that has happened organically which is the beauty with long-running shows like EastEnders.’
Lexi makes her feel understood, and in a time and a place where she feels so alienated by Julie, and so detached from Nigel.’
‘It’s healing that Clare sees the love that Nigel had for Lexi, and when he mistakes Lexi for Clare, it gives her comfort as it reminds her how much Nigel did love Clare when they were young.’
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It’s a beautifully full-circle moment. In the middle of heartbreak, Clare finds connection and a reminder that she was loved, even if things fell apart later.
Behind the scenes, the return has clearly meant just as much to Gemma as it does to fans.
‘It was a long time coming, and I was just so chuffed because I haven’t seen Paul Bradley in over 20 years and so to be able to reconnect with him and work with him again felt like time had stood still. It was like no time had passed at all, and Paul is exactly the same lovely person he was before. Nigel’s dementia is portrayed as devastatingly real, something that resonates with so many families watching at home.’
The big question now is what happens next. With Nigel’s condition worsening, and emotions running high between Clare and Julie, difficult decisions lie ahead about his future care.
But for Clare, the damage already feels done.
She’s back. She’s facing the past. But she may have arrived just a little too late.
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