EastEnders fans devastated as evil Gray Atkins stops Chantelle escaping

EastEnders fans were devastated for Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Plummer) as her abusive husband Gray (Toby-Alexander Smith) discovered her plan to try and escape him.

Gray’s campaign of terror against his wife had worsened during lockdown and the troubled hairdresser made a decision.

She was subjected to yet more abuse when Gray forced her to hold her breath underwater in the bath to ‘prove’ that she loved him and their children.

Viewers had seen Chantelle reach out to Kheerat (Jaz Deol) for money to help her leave and set divorce proceedings in motion after his latest horrific act.

When her husband headed out to work the young mum began to organise her and her kids’ things to leave.

But in more upsetting scenes, he found out her plan to get away, leaving fans crushed – especially as they already know how Chantelle’s tragic story will play out.

‘WISH CHANTELLE WOULD SAY SOMETHING but i know it’s not easy so lemme just be quiet’, one said.

Another tweeted: ‘This Chantelle storyline is going to leave behind so many “what ifs” and “if onlys” isn’t it?’

‘Poor Chantelle, she was literally so close to finally escaping Gray once & for all’ read another comment.

One frustrated viewer wrote: ‘Chantelle should have just ran away. Kheerat aswell go to the house u can tell something is wrong.’

A further comment read: ‘You know they are a good actor if you hate them so much. Toby is amazing and both he and Jessica deserve awards when this is over and I can breathe.’

Unfortunately the soap has already announced that Chantelle will not escape her abuser, as Gray is set to murder her in upcoming scenes.

Actor Toby-Alexander has previously said why it is important for the story to go down a sad and dark route.

He said: ‘We’re encouraging women to speak out before that does happen because sadly it is happening. And it’s happening more and more frequently.

‘And the importance of this storyline is to give the women courage to speak out and to know that people are listening and to know that there are services out there to help.

‘As shocking as it is to watch hopefully it will give the survivors out there the courage to reach out and get help.’

EastEnders domestic violence – get support

Two thirds of women who were experiencing abuse from their partner/ex-partner in June told a Women’s Aid study that their abuser had started using lockdown restrictions or the Covid-19 virus and its consequences as part of the abuse.  (66.7% of those answering question – Women’s Aid Survivor Survey, June 2020).

At the height of lockdown over three quarters of women living with an abuser said they felt they could not leave or get away because of the pandemic. (78.6% of those answering question – Women’s Aid Survivor Survey, April 2020).

You can get support and information from Women’s Aid by visiting the website or contacting the free instant messaging service.

You can get support and information from Refuge – which holds a comprehensive and detailed guide to seeking help on the website.

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