Private agony: Ronnie visits the grave of her son James after the Moon and Slater family head home for 'Tommy's' wake
A guilt-ridden Ronnie Branning arrives alone at the grave side of her dead newborn son James.
Having left Kat and Alfie Moon to believe their son Tommy has died, she arrives at the grave site alone after the burial.
The EastEnders character who has endured a miscarriage, and the death of her daughter, swapped her child James, who died of cot death, with the Moon's son.
And although terrified of being found out, Ronnie still hasn't come clean over the true identity of the dead baby.
New mother Kat was left devastated after discovering her 'son' Tommy had apparently died of cot death.
Unaware her real son is actually alive and well and has been swapped with Ronnie Branning's dead newborn James, Kat is struggling to come to terms with her loss.
And in this sneak peek of next week's episode, it appears confused Ronnie still hasn't come clean over the true identity of the dead baby.
Still believing it was her son that died, a heartbroken Kat (Jessie Wallace) is seen cradling 'Tommy's small white coffin at the funeral.
Heartbreak: Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) carries the tiny coffin of what she believes is her son Tommy - unaware it is really baby James Branning
Supported by husband Alfie (Shane Richie) - who is not the baby's father - the pair prepare to bury what they believe is little Tommy.
Ronnie (Samantha Womack) switched the body of her own son James with Tommy's at the Queen Victoria pub as the New Year's Eve party was in full swing.
With Kat in hospital recovering from giving birth in the pub cellar, her father Charlie Slater (Derek Martin) was supposed to be looking after baby Tommy.
But as Charlie slipped downstairs to see in 2011, Tommy was left alone upstairs - meaning no one saw disturbed Ronnie switching the babies in a blind moment of panic.
As she comes to terms with the death of 'Tommy', Kat will blame her father Charlie for not looking after the newborn properly, prompting his exit from Walford.
Martin, who is leaving the soap after 10 years of playing cab driver Charlie, said the cast found it incredibly difficult to film the storyline.
He told the News Of The World: 'Filming the scenes was exceptionally heavy going. It was traumatic for everyone involved because we are all parents.
'Anyone dying is bad enough - even more so when it's a child.
'It felt like emotion was pouring out of my mouth.'
Womack also said recently how harrowing she found filming the storyline and found herself repeatedly crying.
She said: 'I couldn't stop crying when we were filming the scenes where Ronnie finds her dead baby. I couldn't switch off when I returned home every day.
'What Ronnie has been through is such a crushingly awful thing to even pretend might happen to you. I actually felt ill having to portray it.
'We used an expensive silicone doll, and it was so lifelike it upset a lot of people on set. We had to stop and take a break because it was too much.'
Destroyed: A stunned Ronnie Branning (Samantha Womack) struggles to comprehend what has happened moments after swapping the babies
The BBC insists it has been working with the Foundation for The Study Of Infant Deaths (FSID) to make the storyline realistic.
In a statement sent to viewers who have complained ahead of transmission, bosses said: 'We do appreciate that for viewers who have personally been affected by sudden infant death syndrome this storyline will have particular resonance.
'However, EastEnders is a drama which explores many difficult issues, and as you would expect, inevitably these do sometimes touch a nerve with some sections of the audience.
'We have sought guidance and advice from the FSID, as well as speaking to parents who themselves have lost babies through cot death, to ensure that our portrayal is as sensitive and realistic as possible.
'It's true that Ronnie has had an extremely tough time of it already. However, just as in real life this doesn't preclude her from further tragedy.'
The death of one-day-old James is the third time tragic Ronnie has lost a child.
After being forced by her late father Archie (Larry Lamb) to give her baby away when she was teenager, he later told Ronnie the little girl had died.
It was only at Archie and Peggy's wedding in April 2009, she discovered he had hidden the truth about Danielle Jones's (Lauren Crace) identity from him.
Just moments after finding out the local teen was her long-lost daughter, she was devastated to see the youngster being fatally knocked down by Janine Malloy's (Charlie Brooks) car.
She also suffered a miscarriage the same year after her evil father Archie violently shoved her into the bar at the Queen Vic.
• The funeral scenes will be screened on BBC1 on Tuesday 11th January at 7:30pm.
Source:Dailymail
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