EastEnders viewers have been left disgusted by the recent actions of character Reiss Colwell in the popular BBC One soap.
The character, played by Johnny Freeman, has been grappling with financial woes after failing to keep up with the care home bills for his wife Debbie, who fell into a coma following a stroke in the bath.
The pressure has only mounted for Reiss as his partner Sonia Fowler, portrayed by Natalie Cassidy, is expecting their child. In a shocking turn of events last week, he resorted to killing Debbie.
Adding to his list of wrongdoings, Reiss has also swindled Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) out of a significant sum of money. He fabricated a story about a bogus investment scheme for their business, which Sharon fell for.
In Monday's episode (July 29), which was released early on iPlayer, Reiss found himself cornered by Phil, who demanded to see his investment. Grieving, Reiss told Phil he wasn't in the right frame of mind to discuss business matters, reports the Daily Star.
Later, the police informed Reiss that Debbie's post-mortem had been completed. They also gave him permission to visit her in the mortuary, an offer he took up.
At the mortuary, a tearful Reiss spoke to Debbie's lifeless body, convincing himself that he had done her a favour as she had no quality of life. However, the situation took a chilling turn when he committed another crime.
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Reiss's actions caused shockwaves among viewers as he brazenly pocketed Debbie's engagement ring following her unexpected demise. Fans erupted on social media, with a livid fan posting on a Corrie fan page: "So Reiss is that much of a low he stole Debbie's engagement ring."
This sparked a flurry of responses, with another viewer adding: "He's Desperate! Everything getting to him now! It was hard to watch though and what an actor. Plays the part so well. I must say."
One particularly incensed fan expressed: "Disgusting, I just hope he gets caught soon," while another urged: "Sonia needs to take the blinkers off and realise Reiss is covered in red flags."
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
