JAY Brown has bonded with a woman named Nadine who bears a striking resemblance to his late wife Lola Pearce.
EastEnders fans are sharing their suspicions about the newcomer and have recently spotted a clue proving she isn't what she seems.
Could grief be taking a toll on the mechanic played by Jamie Borthwick?
The young widower has recently met a woman named Nadine, portrayed by newcomer Jazzy Phoenix, in the Queen Vic.
In recent scenes aired on BBC One, he finally managed to get some sleep with somebody next to him and his emotions over the death of Lola Pearce appear to be slowly getting under control.
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Off-screen, however, viewers of the London-based program are growing increasingly suspicious of Nadine, with many speculating Emma Harding may have hired her in her attempt to get custody of her granddaughter Lexi.
But some Reddit users have come up with another theory as Jay and Nadine get closer - could he be imagining her as a way to cope with the loss of his wife?
"I haven't seen these episodes yet but wondering if anyone else on the square has interacted with the character? It may be a storyline that Jay has imagined her", one viewer questioned online.
The soap fan argued that, apart from Jay, nobody appeared to notice Nadine was there.
"She ordered a coffee off of Kathy, but Kath was out of shot so we don’t know if she really saw her."
"Also no one seemed to notice her talking to Jay in the Albert or in the Street and given that they’re all gossips, word would surely already be going around about 'Jay being out with a new bird so fast!'"
Another quickly replied: "I suspect she is probably real. But I have my moments where I wonder if he’s imagined her in some sort of hallucination."
"She also seemed to have no reflection in the mirror in her flat. And Jay rushed out without paying her for his expensive kip, something she didn’t mention when she saw him in today’s episode."
"So it’s definitely a bit weird & there’s still room for interpretation at this point!"
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A third viewer echoed: "Until somebody else addresses Nadine (Not counting her ordering a drink at Kathy's as Kathy did not talk to her) I don’t believe she is real if/after they do I think she has been hired by Emma to tempt Jay in a sick attempt to tempt Jay to discredit him."
As mentioned above, Emma (Patsy Kensit) has been keen to get closer to Lexi following Lola's death.
But Jay made it clear this would be difficult as she failed to support Lola in her dying moments.
Could she resort to tricking Jay in a bid to make him seem like an unfit guardian?
One could also theorise she may use her fling with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) to her advantage as she could add pressure onto Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden).
Who really is Nadine and what is she hiding?
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
