EastEnders fans break down in tears as Lily Slater, 12, finds out she’s pregnant – as mum Stacey asks who the dad is

EASTENDERS fans broke down in tears tonight as Lily Slater, 12, found out she is pregnant - before mum Stacey asked who the dad is.

The BBC soap dropped a major bombshell in the New Year's Day episode after a carbon monoxide leak at the Slaters caused multiple people to pass out.

At the hospital, doctor's told a shocked Stacey (Lacey Turner) that scans had revealed her 12-year-old daughter was pregnant.

Tonight's episode opened with Stacey being questioned by a social worker and a police officer about her daughter and family, as they tried to get to the bottom of who could have had sex with the youngster.

Stacey was aghast at the suggestion it could be an adult family member who had abused her daughter, but was told by the professionals they had to launch a child protection investigation as well as a criminal investigation for Lily's safety before she could be allowed home.

Later, the moment came when Stacey had to tell her daughter that the two women wanted to speak to her, and in heartbreaking scenes, she had to explain to her little girl that was she pregnant.

Choking back tears, she said: "It's just erm...the doctors did a few tests and er...you're pregnant."

As Lily's hands shot up to her mouth in shock and she started to shake her head, her mum reassured her: "I'm not angry, you're not in trouble, it's just however it happened...

"Darling it's just because you're so young...they just need to find out how it happened."

As she hugged her daughter, she told her she was going to be taken to a "little interview place" but that only made Lily cry more.

As she sobbed she said: "Please mum, don't make me go."

Stacey then asked for a moment alone with Lily, before trying to gently find out what happened.

She said: "Talk to me, who is the father? Is it someone new? Someone you've been messaging online?"

As Lily said no, Stacey said: "Lily you're 12, whoever done this to you shouldn't have gone anywhere near you and I have to make sure he doesn't hurt you again.

"So please Lil, please, just tell me who has been abusing you?"

A distraught Lily cried: "No I ain't been abused. You don't understand."

Stacey asked if it was an older man who had scared her into being quiet, but her daughter cried: "Please just stop it, I don't want this! I don't want any of this!"

The emotionally fraught scenes had an immediate impact on EastEnders viewers watching at home.

Taking to Twitter, one wrote: "These Lily and Stacey scenes. Goddamn."

Another added: "Good little actress is that Lily"

A third tweeted: "Both Lacey and Lillia Turner are superb actresses, they’re going to smash this storyline out of the park."

EastEnders is available on BBC iPlayer.