DEVASTATED by his HIV diagnosis, Zack Hudson kept it a secret from the people closest to him.
But he finally drops the bombshell next week in EastEnders. How will his close circle react?
Zack Hudson has struggled to cope with his HIV diagnosis
He finally opens up about it next week
How will his close circle react to the news?
The hunk portrayed by James Farrar was mortified when his former acquaintance Brett told him he could have contracted the virus after sharing needles with him years earlier.
Zack was then told he was HIV positive but was unable to be open about it with Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) as she struggled with her pregnancy.
Things went from bad to worse when their unborn baby was diagnosed with Edwards’ Syndrome and Whitney terminated her pregnancy in tear-jerking scenes.
When things finally settled down, Zack was able to tell Whitney his secret but only her and Sam Mitchell knew all about it.
In scenes airing next week on BBC One, the heartthrob will have no other choice but to tell his sister Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) what has been going on.
Coming up, Phil Mitchell convinces the gym owner to host a community boxing match.
Zack is persuaded to take on the prime fighting slot against Ben Mitchell but he panics when Sharon tells him he’ll need a blood test to take part in the match.
This would mean his diagnosis will be exposed to everybody around him and Zack isn’t ready for that to happen without his consent.
Fearing his secret will be out in the open before he even has time to talk to Sharon about it, Zack has an honest conversation with Whitney.
The discussion leads to him finally opening up to Sharon and Martin Fowler about his diagnosis.
He tells them he won’t be able to take part in the fight as he has HIV.
How will they react?
Could Zack’s news reopen old wounds for market trader Martin (James Bye)?
EastEnders viewers will remember that Martin’s brother Mark himself was diagnosed HIV positive.
While the illness forced the former troublemaker to take some responsibility for himself, Mark struggled to come to terms with how limited his life would be because of it.
The virus eventually caused his death as Mark died from an AIDS-related form of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma in April, 2004.
Will Zack suffer a similar fate?
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on ITV.
How will Sharon react to Zack’s news?
Could it be too much for Martin Fowler to handle?
