EastEnders star teases Bobby Beale drama as Anna seeks 'comfort' elsewhere

EastEnders star Molly Rainford has hinted at upcoming drama for her character Anna Knight and Bobby Beale's romance. Viewers of the BBC One soap will witness harrowing scenes next week when Anna becomes the victim of a drink spiking incident.

In the episode, which airs on Tuesday, July 16, Anna's night out at Peggy's takes a dark turn as someone meddles with her beverage. Her peculiar behaviour is initially dismissed by her friends as drunken antics, not realising the gravity of the situation.

It quickly becomes apparent that Anna's reaction is not consistent with the little alcohol she's had, raising alarm bells for those close to her. After waking up in the hospital, a "scared" Anna discovers she was spiked and turns to Freddie Slater (played by Bobby Brazier) for comfort.

Molly Rainford, 23, opened up about Anna's state of mind following the frightening event, stating: "I think there's a massive mixture of emotions for Anna. Part of her is obviously scared, because not being able to remember the events of the evening is quite frightening.

"The unknown in anything is frightening so it's playing on her mind and she's wondering what really happened. There is also another side of her that questions whether she's to blame which is ridiculous but also a very common misconception.

"Was she reckless? Was she looking after herself? Was she maybe interacting with this person more than she knew?."

She further commented: "On top of all of that, there's another part of her that is now fearing going out again, and going inward which is sad because no one should have to feel like that. It's her local bar which her parents' friends own, and it shouldn't be a place where she feels unsafe."

As avid viewers of the BBC One soap will know, Anna is currently in a relationship with Bobby Beale (Clay Milner-Russell), but their romance appears to be heading for troubled waters.

At the beginning of next week, Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) will voice her worries about her sister's relationship with Bobby, questioning if he is truly the right man for her.

Molly elaborated: "I think Anna is over always having to justify why she's with Bobby. I think she's proved time and time again that he's a good guy who really cares for her, and would go above and beyond, so I think for her it's frustrating that people don't just accept that they're together and they're happy.

"Personality wise he's obviously very different to what Gina or even Cindy would have wanted for her but I think it shows that sometimes you have to go outside of your comfort zone and she's ended up with a really nice boy."

However, after Anna's spiking incident, Bobby becomes distant before attempting to reconstruct the night's events - against Anna's wishes. This situation pushes a distraught Anna closer to Freddie, with whom she previously shared a passionate night.

Soap star Molly weighed in on the drama, reflecting on her character's troubled time by saying: "I think the reason Bobby put his foot in it is, as like anyone does, he tries to make sense of the situation.

"I don't think Bobby means to hurt her, but with all of the stress that's going on, and with Anna also feeling unwell from the spiking, it was the wrong moment to start trying to piece the night together."

She further commented on the dynamic between the characters, sharing: "I think the reason she turns to Freddie as a bit of a comfort is because instead of trying to make sense of it, he just listens. Sometimes you just need someone to hear you and not question how you feel."