EastEnders airs harrowing Denise Fox episode with final twist in iPlayer release

 Her condition takes a turn.

EastEnders airs another worrying development for Denise Fox tonight, as her condition takes a dark turn. Her family frantically search for a stem cell donor – but will they get the news they're hoping for?

The episode begins with Amy Mitchell and Yolande Trueman handing out flyers to the local community, hoping they can find a stem cell match for Denise.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Jack Branning tries to keep Denise's spirits high, despite her obviously worsening condition. But when the latter starts coughing up blood, the doctor informs her that her chest infection has developed into sepsis and she needs to be put on a ventilator.

So you will have a tube going down into your trachea and that means that we need to put you into a medically induced coma," the doctor explains.

Terrified at the possibility she might not wake up again, Denise begins to panic. Jack relays the news to the rest of the family, but Denise says she doesn't want them to see her so ill and scared.

Back on the Square, Kim Fox finds an email from the ancestry website, which had gone to the junk folder weeks ago. It reveals that they found Denise a 25% DNA match, suggesting a man named Darnell could be her half-sibling.

"This could save her! This could actually save her," Kim rejoices, before learning that Darnell's account on the website has been deactivated.

As Kim gives up all hope, Patrick has an idea to find Denise's father in a box of old family photos. Despite it being a long shot, they manage to find out Darnell's full name – giving them a good chance of locating him.

When Jack returns home, Kim excitedly runs out to share the good news: "Darnell Larson Jr! He's a potential stem cell match. Dee's got a brother! She's got a brother!"

Could this be a vital turning point for the family?