After an explosive Christmas which saw Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) presumed dead and his wife Janine (Charlie Brooks) carted off in the back of a police car, EastEnders haven't let up on the dramatic storylines. Far from it, in fact, as they kicked off a shock pregnancy storyline for 12-year-old Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) earlier this week.
Following a carbon monoxide leak at the Slater residence, Lily was rushed to hospital where it was confirmed that she was expecting a baby - much to the horror of her mum Stacey (Lacey Turner). The aftermath has seen Stacey and her daughter questioned by police and social workers as they try to find out how exactly Lily got pregnant, although she initially refused to name the father of her child or explain the circumstances behind her pregnancy.
Rumours immediately began swirling, with fans suspecting everyone from Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) to Nugget (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) as the father. However, Lily eventually admitted that her baby daddy was Ricky Mitchell Jr (Frankie Day) after Stacey spotted them waving at each other from across the Square.
Following the big reveal, viewers flocked to social media to share their opinions. Many claimed they'd always thought that Ricky was the father, however others weren't so convinced and insisted that Lily's announcement was actually a cover-up for someone else.
One tweeted, "Why do I get the feeling Ricky isn’t the father but is being used as an excuse to cover something much bigger?
Another remarked, "Yeah it defo ain’t Ricky #EastEnders she for sure said it to hide the truth," while a third wrote, "I feel like Lily is lying about Ricky Jr being the father. She’s definitely protecting the identity of the real father to her baby."
One more added, "I called Ricky being the dad but I’m now not 💯 convinced I believe it???"
Even before the storyline began airing, rumours were rife that there could be a possible pregnancy in store for Lily and Ricky Jr, the son of Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).
While Jack has been dealing with daughter Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) self-harming in recent weeks, there have been a number of hints that a big storyline could be coming up for Ricky Jr too after he was seen sneaking away from a family meal at the Queen Vic - and some viewers think it could be a romance with Lily.
The rumours were only fuelled when a behind-the-scenes look at EastEnders during a recent episode of The One Show showed Jack and his wife Denise (Diane Parish) in a scene with Stacey.
“Denise and Jack having a scene with Stacey, I actually have a feeling that theory about Lily and Ricky might be right 😭 #EastEnders,” tweeted one fan, while another commented, “So it's Ricky & Lily getting the teenage pregnancy storyline whilst no one was looking, innit? And they ain't even teens yet! 😭 #EastEnders.”