BBC Share Add as a preferred source on Google By Laura Morgan 5 Feb 2026, 13:02 By Laura Morgan 5 Feb 2026, 13:02 Lola in EastEnders: Billy's gobby granddaughter, her iconic romance with Jay, being a mum to Lexi and tragic cancer battle How much do you remember about Lola? Lola Pearce Share Add as a preferred source on Google By Laura Morgan 5 Feb 2026, 13:02 By Laura Morgan 5 Feb 2026, 13:02 The late Lola Pearce-Brown is a much-missed EastEnders character, whose heartbreaking death in 2023 left soap fans devastated. Played by award-winning actress Danielle Harold, Lola made her first appearance in Walford back in 2011. She was introduced as the feisty teenage granddaughter of Billy Mitchell, and soon established herself as one of the faaamily. Lola’s standout storylines included giving birth to Lexi in the 2012 live episode, her on/off romance with Jay Brown and her fight against cancer which tragically claimed her young life. Here’s all you need to know about the life and loves of Lola. Lola was one of EastEnders most well-loved figures (Credit: BBC) Who was Lola Pearce-Brown in EastEnders? Lola was born on July 3, 1996, the only daughter of Dan Pearce and Emma Harding. Her dad Dan was the son of Billy Mitchell and Julie Perkins and had been put up for adoption as a baby. Dan was an alcoholic and frequently inflicted physical violence on Emma. On Lola’s third birthday, Dan attacked her with boiling water. While Emma was being treated in hospital Dan snatched Lola and raised her on his own. Lola subsequently grew up thinking her mum had abandoned her. Article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Lola was eventually taken into care and Dan cut ties with his daughter. He died in April 2011 when Lola was 15. Lola and her explosive arrival in EastEnders In 2011 Billy and Julie decided to track down their son. They discovered Dan had already died, but learnt Lola was living in care. They paid a visit to Lola at her home, but it was far from a happy family reunion. Billy and Julie walked in to witness Lola fighting with one of her housemates. Lola issued some harsh home truths to Julie and stole Billy’s wallet when he was distracted. The following day, Lola made her arrival in Albert Square. She returned Billy’s wallet and immediately caught the eye of local lads Fatboy Chubb and her future husband Jay Brown. Fatboy gave Lola job cleaning cars for him, but she stole one of the motors and crashed it into Ian Beale’s chip shop. In the aftermath, Billy declared Lola was a “one hundred percent Mitchell”, but this didn’t stop Julie calling the police on her. A week later the pair reconciled after Julie caught Lola partying underage at R&R nightclub. Lola moved in with Billy – who she affectionately called Pops – and got a job at the cafe. But her bad behaviour continued. She set fire to Eddie Moon’s business, stole from the cafe till and smashed up Phil Mitchell’s garage – nearly killing Jay in the process. Afterwards, Lola returns to the care home and Julie left Walford. Lola was Lexi’s mum (Credit: BBC) Lola falls pregnant with Lexi in EastEnders However, Lola didn’t stay away long and returned to the Square, taking up a job at Booty beauty salon. Ben Mitchell, who was Lola’s third cousin-once-removed, decided to test whether he really was gay by sleeping with her. Lola soon discovered she was pregnant, but refused to reveal that Ben was the father. Instead she asked Billy if he could help her raise the child. Lola considered having a termination, but a fall down the stairs made her realise how much she wanted to keep her baby. Being pregnant definitely didn’t calm Lola down. She got arrested after vandalising the car lot in a bid to frame Lucy Beale. Her punishment was community service as well as an electronic tag, which meant she had a daily curfew. On July 23, 2012, Lola gave birth to her daughter in a special live broadcast. This coincided with Lola’s Pops Billy carrying the Olympic torch through Walford. Billy managed to get around the Square with the torch and make it back to Lola in time to be by her side. Actress Danielle Harold became the first EastEnders actress to portray giving birth live on air. cv Lola named her newborn daughter Lexi Billie Pearce. Lola’s custody battle over Lexi Lola’s motherhood journey got off to a traumatic start after she was arrested for assault and Lexi was taken into care. Phil agreed to help Lola get her daughter back, but secretly he was planning to gain custody of his granddaughter. He asked former girlfriend Sharon to pose as his girlfriend to strengthen his chances of getting Lexi. Phil became Lexi’s kinship foster carer and Lola was only allowed three access visits per week. Everything started off amicably, but Lola grew frustrated when Phil began trying to control her life. The battle ended up in court, where a judge ruled that Lexi would stay with Phil. Afterwards, Lola snatched her baby girl, which made Phil realise the error of his ways. Soon afterwards Lola discovered Sharon was in the grips of a painkiller addiction. A final court hearing led Lexi to return to Lola’s care. Romance with Peter Beale Who remembers that Lola and Peter Beale were once an item? The unlikely lovers got together amidst a feud between their warring families. Peter moved in with Lola and gave her the confidence to start up her own business giving locals manicures and pedicures. Lola’s insecurities reared their head when she feared she wasn’t good enough for Peter. And their romance became under huge strain after the murder of Peter’s twin sister Lucy. Peter was furious when Lola gave an interview to the Walford Gazette about his late sister. Things eventually came to an end when Peter admitted he’d kissed his ex-girlfriend Lauren Branning. Lola tries to make it work, but Peter rejected her. Lola was the love of Jay’s life (Credit: BBC) Lola’s love story with Jay Brown The love of Lola’s life was her soulmate, Jay Brown. After years of flirtatious banter and will they/won’t they, Jay-Lo finally became a ‘thing’ in 2014. Jay was a great father figure for Lexi and made Lola feel loved in a way she’d never experienced before. Distance drove the couple apart the following year when Lola moved away to Newcastle, but the love remained. When Lola came back to the Square four years later her and Jay picked up from where they left off. When Lola was diagnosed with terminal cancer she needed Jay more than ever. He became her rock and was by her side through every appointment and treatment. Jay proposed to Lola on Christmas Day 2022. She initially said no through fear he was doing it out of pity, but she later changed her mind. The tragic pair married on January 26, 2023 in a tearjerking ceremony attended by their close family and friends. Lola then changed her surname to Pearce-Brown. Why did Lola leave EastEnders? In 2014, Lola and Jay delighted their shippers by finally getting together. The start of their romance coincided with the ongoing investigation into Lucy’s murder. Jay wanted to leave Walford over fears Phil would hand Lucy’s purse and phone to the police, both of which had his fingerprints on. Jay and best mate Ben were two of the last people to see Lucy alive on that fateful night and were worried they’d be implicated. Lola agreed to run away with Jay and their friend Dexter to Newcastle. But Billy sabotaged their plans by calling the police. Jay was arrested and Lola left for the station with Lexi. Despite Billy’s pleas for her to stay, Lola decided her and Lexi were better off out of Walford. The pair departed in 2015 and planned for Jay to eventually join them. But unfortunately the relationship crumbled and Jay decided to remain in London. During her time in Newcastle Lola dated Dexter and had became engaged to a man called Ewan. Lola’s return to Albert Square Four years after her departure, Lola returned to Walford with Ben as part of a short-lived scam to swindle Phil out of thousands. She and Jay picked up from where they left off, but then Lola’s secret fiancé Ewan showed up. Ben intervened and managed to get Ewan out of the picture, which left Lola and Jay free to resume their relationship. Everything was going great until Lola discovered she was pregnant in March 2020. Jay hoped they could start a family, but Lila announced she was wanted an abortion. Things then turned sour when Jay proposed and Lola thought it was just a ploy to get her to keep the baby. She cheated on Jay with Peter Beale and then terminated the pregnancy. Lola came clean about the one-night stand after Jay noticed a moment between her and Peter at Stuart and Rainie Highway’s wedding. The couple then broke up. Jay then embarked on a romance with Honey Mitchell (which horrified Lola) and she had a brief dalliance with schizophrenic Isaac Baptiste. Doctors diagnosed Lola with cancer in 2022 (Credit: BBC) Lola is diagnosed with cancer in EastEnders By October 2022 Lola and Jay were back together and busy planning their future. But life was about to deal them the cruelest of blows. Lola began experiencing headaches and dizzy spells, which led to her collapsing in the toilets during Lexi’s pageant. She was taken to hospital where a CT scan discovered a large mass on Lola’s brain. Doctors soon confirmed that Lola had a fast-growing type of brain tumour called a glioblastoma multiforme. The prognosis was bleak, but Lola was offered surgery to try and remove the tumour. She initially kept the diagnosis from her family, but later found the courage to tell Billy, Honey and Ben. Lola asked that Lexi not be told the news, but the youngster overheard the conversation. Lola underwent surgery, where doctors were able to remove some of her tumour. She then received the devastating news that her cancer was terminal, but again wanted to shield Lexi from the truth. The following month, Lola started daily radiotherapy sessions. These took their toll and she ended up collapsing in the Queen Vic. Spiteful Janine Butcher accused Lola of being a drunk, but Lexi set her – and the rest of the pub – straight by publicly announcing she had cancer. Emma was Lola’s mum (Credit: BBC) Lola’s mum arrives back in her life After being diagnosed with cancer Lola decided she wanted to reconnect with her mum, Emma. Billy tracked her down and asked if she’d attend Jay and Lola’s wedding, but Emma declined, insisting she didn’t want to disrupt her daughter’s life. A few weeks later, Emma had a change of heart. Posing under the alias of Nicole, Emma arrived at the salon where Lola worked and tried to bond with her. Emma’s over familiar behaviour caused Lola alarm and she feared she was being stalked. The truth soon came out during a showdown where Billy revealed Emma’s true identity. Lola agreed to forgive her mum for the past after learning why Emma abandoned her as a child. They began to forge a relationship and enjoyed days out together with Lexi, but sadly it wasn’t to last. In March 2023 Lola told Emma she had only six months to live. Unable to cope with the trauma of her illness, Emma decided to leave instead. She made out that she’d landed a job in America, but Lola was heartbroken. She saw it as another rejection and told Emma she never wanted to see her again. Emma never got the chance to make it up to Lola, who died two months later. Lola passed away in 2023 (Credit: BBC) Lola Pearce-Brown’s heartbreaking death in EastEnders Lola discovered her cancer was terminal at the end of the March 2023 and quit her job at the salon to spend her final weeks with family. Wanting to fulfil her wish of revisiting her childhood home of Margate, Jay helped Lola break out of hospital. The couple’s day by the seaside was full of tears and laughter. Lola stole a necklace to give to Lexi, then asked Jay if he would help her die on her own terms. He agreed, but she later changed her mind and decided she’d slip away naturally. Just days later Lola started to lose consciousness. Her family gathered by her bedside, and one-by-one, said their goodbyes. Lola died peacefully as dawn broke on May 31, 2023. Jay and Lexi were by her side. Sadly Ben didn’t make it back in time as he was on board a flight from America. In the weeks and months that followed, Lola appeared on screen via video messages that she’d recorded for her loved ones, to be played after her passing. A stint in the I’m A Celeb jungle beckoned after EastEnders (Credit: BBC/ITV) Who played Lola Pearce-Brown in EastEnders? Lola was played by actress Danielle Harold. She made her television debut in Jamie’s Dream School, a Channel 4 documentary where chef Jamie Oliver enrolled a group of teenagers with fewer than five GCSEs into his ‘Dream School’. Pupils were then taught by celebrities who were specialists in particular subjects. Danielle was one of the standout stars of the show. Rejecting the opportunity to go to university, Danielle decided to pursue her dream of acting. She landed the role of Lola Pearce in June 2011 and made her soap debut the following month. Danielle was axed from the soap in 2015, but returned in 2019. In 2022 it was announced that Lola was being killed off, with Danielle’s last scenes airing the following May. Her portrayal of Lola’s cancer battle earnt Danielle a string of accolades. In 2023 she scooped the National Television Award for Serial Drama Performance and Best Leading Performer at the British Soap Awards. Since leaving EastEnders Danielle has been a contestant on several reality shows, including I’m A Celebrity, Celebrity Masterchef. Her most recent TV appearance was on Richard Osman’s House of Games. Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns. Share Add as a preferred source on Google Good to Know Share Add as a preferred source on Google By Laura Morgan 5 Feb 2026, 13:02 By Laura Morgan 5 Feb 2026, 13:02 Previous Story Next Story
