EastEnders must resolve one major issue with the return of Ruby Allen | Soaps

The iconic EastEnders comebacks just keep on coming, and Ruby Allen is set to cause chaos in Walford once again.

The character’s story was left unfinished, so Louisa Lytton’s return to the role is welcome news. We just hope the BBC soap can make amends for letting Ruby down in one crucial way.

In the months leading up to Ruby’s departure in 2021, she suffered two miscarriages and was diagnosed with endometriosis – a debilitating condition that can affect fertility and brings on symptoms including severe period pain, heavy periods, anxiety and fatigue.

When the storyline first materialised, it was delivered fantastically by Louisa, and had the power to make a lasting impact. But unfortunately, EastEnders prioritised Ruby’s villainous era, turning viewers firmly against the character.

Ruby’s medical struggles were pushed aside, leaving us to wonder why they even happened if the topic would never get screen time again. Chronic health issues are still largely overlooked in the world of soap operas, and don’t deserve to be overshadowed.

Ruby’s crimes include orchestrating a robbery, having her former friend Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) attacked and ultimately being framed for pushing her down the stairs.

At least there was some remorse from Ruby – it just came too little, too late for the public. When she was taken away by the police, Ruby’s final statement, that she was pregnant again with her then-husband Martin Fowler’s (James Bye) baby, was shrouded in mystery.

Three years on, EastEnders is still teasing whether she’ll turn up in Albert Square with a mini Fowler. Ruby may have lied about it before, but given her later experience with pregnancy loss, it would feel unrealistic now if she were to be revealed as lying again.

We’re hungry for the drama that Ruby’s presence is sure to bring, and we certainly don’t want her to slip back quietly. Give us the confrontation that Stacey deserves after her wrongful imprisonment at Ruby’s hands, and let Ruby give as good as she gets.

But EastEnders now has the chance to balance Ruby’s feisty side with the exploration of a long-term, terminal condition. She can still be the strong, sassy and downright catty character we know, but not at the expense of providing much-needed representation.

The only way to do this well is to carefully show us all of Ruby’s considered moves, rather than painting her as a ruthless villain.

It’s no surprise that Ruby has darkness in her blood – her father was criminal Johnny Allen (Billy Murray), after all. But juxtaposing her evil side with her struggle with endometriosis was a huge mistake. We just couldn’t connect with Ruby when we were too busy getting her comeuppance, and that’s exactly what went wrong.

Louisa excelled as the influential businesswoman who inherited her father’s ruthless nature. But Ruby wasn’t cut out to be a consistent villain, like the evil Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) or the menacing abuser Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry).

Indeed, we were given only a very brief glimpse of the vulnerability Ruby brought with her when she first came onto the scene in 2005. That should have paved the way for Ruby to accept her diagnosis and delve deeper into those raw moments of turmoil that were so few and far between.

EastEnders is no stranger to portraying hardened women with a traumatic side. Legendary misery queen Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) committed murder, but we never fell out of love with her because there was rhyme and reason to her every move.

Every contradictory side of Ronnie was able to blossom until her untimely death, while Ruby never got the chance to do so – until now.

At least we know she still has unresolved feelings about her lost family members. By finally letting Ruby down a bit, viewers can identify with her more, even if they can’t completely forgive her crimes.

This is what EastEnders needs to focus on when she returns – not a brand new web of sinister lies. It simply wouldn’t make sense to cover up Ruby’s condition and we’re confident the show, in its current glorious form, will agree.

We don’t just want to know if Ruby became a mother while she wasn’t there, if prison changed her for better or worse, and what her motives are. We also want to see and hear how she deals with her condition day in and day out.

People who suffer from endometriosis and various other chronic conditions need to see their experiences on screen, unfiltered and center stage. Let us see Ruby struggling with extreme exhaustion and doubled over in intense period pain, just as so many women do every day.

There’s a missing chapter in Ruby’s story and EastEnders may not owe her a redemptive storyline, but it does owe her a sense of responsibility for her health.

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