EastEnders spoilers follow for Thursday’s (September 3) episode, which can now be streamed on BBC iPlayer. The episode in question will air at 7:30pm.

It’s not often that Max Branning (Jake Wood) is rendered speechless but that’s exactly what he was when ex Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) confessed her love for him, mere hours before he is due to wed Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).

Linda, who controversially cheated on beloved husband Mick (Danny Dyer) with Max six years ago, has resisted the urge of revisiting her ‘biggest mistake’ since the lothario waltzed back to Walford last year.

But in the year since his comeback, Linda has seen a very different side to Max, who has proven himself to be a very good dad to their daughter Annie.

If only she knew he was still as troublesome as ever given that he’s been cheating on wife-to-be Cindy with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) for months!

Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), however, is in the know after he discovered such a thing earlier this week and thus he took Max prisoner at The Boxing Den, attacking him with a baseball ball in a bid to get him to admit to having a fling with his wife-to-be.

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Max ardently denied the claims at first but, left with little choice, he came clean. Priya showed up in the nick of time and persuaded Ravi to let him go, with Max retreating to the cafe to lick his wounds as he broke down in tears.

Linda, meanwhile, decided to call things off with new flame Clive (Jason Durr). Despite them being perfect for one another, she revealed that she potentially has feelings for someone else.

At the cafe, she spotted an emotional Max, who opened up about how he reckons he’s blown things with Cindy before his marriage has even started.

Linda proved supportive, suggesting that he and Cindy found each other at the right moment in their lives. Max commented that the timing never seemed quite as right for he and Linda, who unexpectedly admitted that she’s in love with him.

The car salesman attempted to process such a bombshell and sought clarification, seemingly on the verge of saying that if she’s being serious it would change everything.

Linda reiterated that she left it too late to tell him but Max wasn’t wholly convinced of such a thing. Before he could get further confirmation from L, however, he was dragged away by his fellow stags.

It’s long been thought that Max’s mystery New year bride, teased in a flashforward sequence earlier this year, would be Cindy, who really is the perfect match for him given their shared penchant for causing absolute mayhem.

The chaotic duo’s nuptials being in September, however, appears to pour cold water on such a theory. With Linda having confessed to being in love with Max, could this perhaps indicate that the former Queen Vic landlady will become the next Mrs Branning when 2027 arrives?

The outcome of his wedding to Cindy next week remains under wraps, though given it’s an EastEnders wedding viewers can expect drama in abundance, so what happens between now and January is anyone’s guess.

The question is: will he and Linda decide to give things a proper go and thus walk down the aisle in 2027?

Linda, as viewers will recall, wed actual soulmate Mick, who vanished at sea four years ago, on New Year’s Day in 2016, so would she really marry the man she cheated on him with on the anniversary of their big day?

If so then she’s in for a whole world of heartbreak given that Max has been cheating with Priya behind Cindy’s back – and that Priya is pregnant with his baby.

And with Linda set to leave the Square after 13 years, is there more heartbreak coming her way? Or is a happy ending within touching distance?

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays on BBC One or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.

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