EastEnders ‘reveals’ what really happened to Debbie as Reiss Colwell gets bombshell news

Reiss Colwell was given a bombshell update this Monday (Image: BBC)

While he successfully managed to kill her, Reiss Colwell may have already tried to get rid of Debbie years prior, which landed her in a long coma.

The accountant played by Jonny Freeman has been clinging on to his dead wife’s life insurance money for dear life, hoping it will be the answer to all his troubles, particularly as his pregnant fiancée Sonia Fowler is stuck behind bars, accused of killing the late Debbie.

Convinced that her sister is innocent, Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) returned to Walford in recent EastEnders scenes, determined to expose Reiss and his actions. As a result, she’s recently moved in with him, knowing she would need to keep him close if she wants to see him crack under the pressure.

In scenes aired this Monday, September 30, 2024, on BBC One, however, Bianca listened in as Reiss welcomed Debbie’s parents at No.25 and, moments later, it was revealed that Debbie had made amendments to her will before her stroke, coma, and death.

Debbie named her parents as her beneficiaries, ruling Reiss away from her financial assets (Image: BBC)

Reiss was shocked to be told that Debbie had named her parents as her sole beneficiaries, allowing them complete control over her financial assets. This meant that Reiss wouldn’t get a penny of her life insurance policy money, but he wasn’t left empty-handed as Debbie left him with a doll’s house, adding: “the dusty old thing it gives me the creeps”, hinting she could have been talking about Reiss all along and making it clear there had been no love lost between them.

While not much is known about Debbie, the character portrayed by Jenny Meier has appeared sporadically in the show since she was first mentioned in early May 2023. Once he became involved with Sonia for the first time in 2022, following Dot Brown’s funeral, Reiss decided to keep Debbie a secret from her but this didn’t last long as Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) pushed him to come clean after overhearing him talking about his wife.

Reiss eventually explained to Sonia that, before settling down in Walford and at No.25, he met and tied the knot with Debbie. The pair once made plans to have their own children together but, as regular fans will recall, Reiss was told he was infertile.

Shortly after receiving the news, which seemed to dash all his hopes for a baby, Reiss was watching television while Debbie enjoyed a bath. When he realised his other half was taking longer than usual, Reiss went upstairs to check on her.

Aware that anything could happen, Debbie and Reiss had taken up the habit of leaving the bathroom door unlocked in case of an emergency. A mutual promise which allowed them to arrive just in time – when he walked in, Reiss realised that Debbie had had a stroke in her bath – but could the story be a lie?

In a new theory, Reiss’ infertility may have caused issues in his relationship with Debbie, and their romance could have turned bitter to the point she probably considered divorce. Just as she did so, Debbie may have changed her will, leaving Reiss out. Reiss was clearly shocked to learn he’d been left close to nothing by his wife, meaning he may have chosen to kill her to get his hands on her money, even back then, unaware of her decision and terrified she’d find a way for their divorce proceedings to be in her favour. Or, he could have hurt her accidentally, paying her frequent visits and supporting Sonia’s IVF journey as a way to forgive himself for what he had done to her.

In late July, 2024, it was confirmed that Sonia actress Natalie Cassidy, who has portrayed fan favourite Sonia since her EastEnders debut in 1993, would temporarily leave the long-running show after being poached by a rival channel. Natalie, 41, is now set to front a four-part series on Channel 4 titled What’s The Big Deal?, where she will look into popular household products that have taken homes by storm around the nation after the show’s successful first edition, focused on the popularity of air fryers.

Speaking to The Sun about the project, a source said at the time: “Natalie will be taking a short break, just like many of her co-stars do when they have another project. Bosses always try to let stars spread their wings and if they can make it work with the often punishing soap schedule then they’ll do it.” They added: “Natalie’s really excited to tackle the project for Channel 4. This is another string to her bow.”