“Abi’s gone past the point of no return!”
Walford’s Lorna Fitzgerald is loving her alter ego’s wicked behaviour – and she hints that it’s about to get even worse…
You’ve got to laugh, really – it’s the least romantic thing ever!” Eastenders actress Lorna Fitzgerald tells Inside Soap, as we quiz her about filming Abi’s steamy encounters with sibling Lauren’s fella Steven. “People watching it on TV must think it’s passionate – but in reality, when you’ve got 10 crew members staring at you, it’s all a bit awkward!
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out that Abi would sleep with Steven
– I didn’t see it coming. It had never been mentioned before, so when
I read the scripts, I was very shocked.”
Given how determined Abi is to ruin her sister’s life, it’s not surprising that she would stoop so low as to get it on with Lauren’s fiancé. Of course, it’s ironic that Lauren doesn’t even want to be with Steven – she’s only marrying him because she believes he’s dying!
But despite Lauren not loving Steven, Lorna still reckons that her character’s betrayal of her sibling is a huge one.
“I think it’s reached the point of no return for Abi,” sighs the star. “I can’t imagine hating anyone that much, let alone my own sister! Abi could have had a chat with Lauren and said, ‘You’re being out of order’. But she’s gone the extra mile and slept with her boyfriend. I feel quite sorry for Lauren in that sense.”
It’s not just Abi sleeping with her bloke that will make Lauren furious – Abi is also helping Steven to perpetuate the lie about him only having three months left to live. It’s a despicable act, yet Abi is clearly infatuated with Steven and has fallen hook, line and sinker for his claims that she’s the one who he wants to be with. So could Steven really be the one for Abi?
“It depends on what she wants out of a relationship!” chuckles Lorna. “If she never wants things to be boring, then Steven is the perfect match for her! But the fact they’re both a bit crazy probably isn’t great news for the rest of the Square.
“At first, I think Abi was just sleeping with Steven to get back at Lauren. But now that she’s got to know him, she does genuinely love him. Her dream would be that Steven would leave Lauren heartbroken, then say that it’s Abi who he actually wants. She wants them to get married and have an amazing family – in her head, she thinks this will work as they can really relate to each other.”
It’s fair to say both Abi and Steven have a screw loose – and they believe that they’re constantly being overlooked in favour of their ‘perfect’ siblings. And while what they’re doing now may seem like the worst thing that could happen to Lauren – not to mention the oblivious Beales, who learn about Steven’s ‘illness’ this week (see p16) – Lorna warns us that there’s still more wickedness to come.
“Abi definitely still has tricks up her sleeve!” she teases. “She’s getting more and more involved with Steven, and she’s really driving the plan to destroy Lauren’s life. When I read it, I thought, ‘Gosh, she’s a proper evil mastermind!’. She’s lost all sense of right and wrong.
“Abi definitely still has tricks up her sleeve – she’s an evil mastermind!”
“I’m loving this story – it’s different to what I’m used to playing,” adds Lorna. “It’s great to work closely with Jac [Jossa, aka Lauren] again, because there was a time when we were both a bit quiet. We just have a real laugh together and say, ‘Imagine if this was a real-life situation!’. It’s the parents I’d feel sorry for if their kids hated each other that much.”
Given that their dad Max is currently the biggest schemer on Albert Square, we can’t say we have much sympathy for him – after all, it’s clear where
Abi gets her penchant for plotting! Luckily, she still has some good people around her who may bring her back from the brink – and Lorna hopes that Abi will seek some guidance from her God-fearing grandma Dot.
“I can imagine that if things went south, Dot would be the first person
Abi would go running to,” says the actress. “I was sad when Abi moved out of Dot’s, as it meant I wouldn’t have so many scenes with June Brown, who plays her. I’ve learned so much from June – she’s brilliant. She always tells me to make sure I know my backstory and know all my lines, and
I’ll have a solid base to work from.
She’s just such a professional.”
In the meantime, Lorna is loving Abi’s new-found freedom in her house share – even if it is a bit weird living with both of your ex-boyfriends! That said, Lorna isn’t sure she’d be up for sharing a house with Ben, Jay and Donna if it were her…
“I’d love to film more scenes of us in that house, as I like the dynamic we all have together,” she grins. “I get on great with Lisa [Hammond, aka Donna], and the boys are just hilarious. But the set itself is so dirty – there’s grease on the walls to make it look like a student house, and it’s gross. In real life, it would stink – so I really don’t think I could live there!”