EastEnders spoilers follow.
Lacey Turner has opened up about Stacey Slater’s shock new storyline as her money troubles worsen on EastEnders.
The character has been struggling lately, especially in the wake of the news that her 12-year-old daughter Lily is pregnant, and Lily’s father Ryan cutting her child support.
Stacey was recently caught out after stealing money from the office, and gets involved with shifty loan shark Shiv in new scenes on the soap.
Related: EastEnders’ Stacey Slater tipped for big new storyline
Amid the shock storyline, Stacey also uncovers how Freddie has been making his money. On Stacey’s reaction to this, Lacey said: “In her world, Freddie’s money making tactics has never even popped up, so she just think it’s quite an odd thing to do.
“But it’s good money, so I think there’s part of her that also thinks, if you’re paying the rent, you’re paying the rent. She does tell him to stop it, but then when she sees that he’s actually making half decent money from it she tries to encourage him to carry on.”
Speaking of how Stacey gets involved with Shiv, the actress explained: “When the van got broken into, she took out a loan with a loan shark.
“Shifty Shiv is one of Mo’s old friends. So, she’s taken out this loan and he decides he wants the money and wants it now. She panics, as she’s quite desperate, so she begs for more time.
“Alfie turns up with some money that he’s made, so there’s a sense of relief, but then Shiv asks for more money for the next day. The more the Slaters wind him up, the more he wants his money quicker.”
The star admitted that Stacey “doesn’t really have a choice” in terms of using Freddie’s money, “and she knows that”.
“In an ideal world, she just helps everyone and keep everyone afloat, but I think she realises she’s in a situation where she doesn’t have much choice, so she has to take it,” she said.
Stacey is “absolutely” scared when Shiv begins to threaten her.
“I think she’s scared of him. He’s a very creepy man. He’s not a normal thug, he’s a creepy thug,” Lacey added.
The actress also touched upon how Alfie tries to help Stacey make some cash, revealing: “There’s a whole lot of wedding dresses that Mo sent when Kat was getting married and they’ve been sitting in the garage, so he tries to have a garage sale to try and shift the dresses and get some quick money.”
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.
