EastEnders has provided a fresh update concerning Sharon Watts, as the Walford favourite remains notably absent from Walford.

During the BBC soap opera’s Christmas Day special, Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey) was found dead, leading to the arrest of his former flame Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), who maintains her innocence.

The GP was discovered lifeless in the upper floors of the Queen Vic after a heated confrontation with Zoe regarding their twins, who had been placed for adoption at birth.

Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) remains adamant that her daughter has been set up for murder, with Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) being the true perpetrator, given her return coincided with Anthony’s demise.

Scheming Chrissie and Zoe share a bitter history stemming from their involvement in Dennis Watts’ (Leslie Grantham) killing and subsequent cover-up back in 2005, which also implicated Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf), reports OK!.

Last September, Sharon (Letitia Dean) found herself behind bars for a week after being held in contempt of court during proceedings related to Keanu Taylor’s (Danny Walters) murder.

During her stint in custody, she encountered Chrissie, her former stepmother, marking their first conversation in almost twenty years.

What appeared to be a touching reconciliation saw Sharon seemingly forgive Chrissie for killing her father, Den, only to learn that Chrissie’s compassion was merely a façade, as she had secretly arranged for another prisoner to “teach her a lesson”.

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Within the prison’s turmoil, Sharon gains an unlikely companion – her cellmate Doreen (Sonia Ritter). After Sharon becomes a target for a violent prisoner, Chrissie steps in, pretending to protect her.

Trusting that Chrissie genuinely cared for her wellbeing, Sharon stayed out of trouble and threw herself into her washing duties with Dor, as the duo developed an endearing and surprising bond.

Fast-forward to today, and Kat is determined to expose Chrissie as Anthony’s killer, with Sharon now apparently assisting in the hunt for Chrissie.

This Monday (January 5), Sharon orchestrated a visit for Kat and Sam to see Dor and discover Chrissie’s potential whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Kat fretted about Jean Slater (Gillian Wright), who had become fixated on cracking Anthony’s murder case and had even created a crime board in her lounge.

Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) monitored Jean closely, troubled by her deteriorating mental state, yet unable to curb her fixation.

Alfie informed Kat: “Anyway, Sam’s getting a cab that’s been booked by Sharon to go see this ex-con mate of hers.”

Kat responded: “Dor”, whilst Alfie continued: “So, what if this Dor knows where Chrissie’s hiding out, you need to get all the details.

“I feel like I’m chasing shadows”, Kat declared before Jean butted into their discussion.

Later, As Kat prepared to enter her taxi, Jasmine attempted to dissuade her from departing Walford: “Kat, are you sure about this? I don’t think you should go”, she urged her grandmother.

Jasmine continued: “Just because Sharon’s mate has got you some hotel name, it doesn’t mean that she’s got it right. Corfu is not exactly as small an island as Kat, ok?”.

Kat interrupted: “I know, and I’m probably wasting my time, but we have to find Chrissie, don’t we?”.

With Sharon recruiting Dor to assist in hunting down Chrissie, could she be set for a return after months away from Walford?

EastEnders fans were devastated in October 2025 when it was announced that Sharon was departing Walford once again, mere weeks after her highly anticipated comeback.

The enduring BBC drama left viewers reeling as Sharon announced her plans to return to Florida to reunite with her closest friend, Michelle Fowler, following a devastating betrayal.

Her departure followed the bombshell discovery that Zoe had deceived everyone about bearing children fathered by Sharon’s deceased husband, Dennis Rickman.

Sharon had only recently returned to Albert Square in September, after spending several months stateside.

She returned, hoping to rebuild relationships with loved ones, only to be stunned by Zoe’s reappearance and her claims that Dennis had fathered her offspring.