EastEnders star Lacey Turner has explained her character Stacey Slater’s guilt ahead of Martin Fowler’s funeral next week.

Stacey has been struggling to cope following her ex-husband’s tragic death in February, with the pair having declared their love for one another in the moments before he passed away.

Stacey has been staying with her brother Sean for several weeks but will return to Walford in time for the funeral, though she arrives home drunk and tells Sonia that she can’t face it.

“Stacey isn’t coping and she’s being really self-destructive,” said Turner. “She’s grieving for Martin but feeling so much guilt too.”

The soap star then explained that Stacey doesn’t think she “deserves” to be at the funeral “because Martin would still be alive if it wasn’t for her”.

“I think she feels terrible but all she wants to do is escape how she’s feeling so she’s drinking to forget,” she continued.

“Poor Lily ends up stepping up to look after her brothers and sister, which makes her really angry with Stacey.”

Photos from the emotional funeral scenes reveal that Stacey does turn up to the funeral after all, though it isn’t known what makes her change her mind.

When asked if Stacey will ever recover from Martin’s death, Turner said: “I don’t think she’ll ever get over losing Martin, they were so close even when they weren’t together.

“Stacey is going to have to learn to live with it because she’s got kids that need her, but it won’t be easy.”