Vanessa Gold

Name: Vanessa Gold
First Appeared: 4th June 2010
Last Appeared: 6th October 2011
Played by: Zöe Lucker

Vanessa Gold came to buy a car from Max Branning, but ended up getting a lot more than she bargained for! After sealing the deal with a kiss, which Max’s daughter Abi witnessed, things quickly got complicated. Max’s lodger, Darren Miller, started dating Vanessa’s daughter, Jodie, without knowing their connection. When the truth came out, Max and Darren flipped a coin to decide who would end their relationship. Max lost, but continued seeing Vanessa anyway. Suspicious of Max’s lingering feelings for his ex, Tanya, Vanessa briefly returned to her controlling husband, Harry, in Chigwell. However, she soon reconciled with Max and moved in with him, much to Jodie’s dismay.

Vanessa’s life in Walford was a rollercoaster. She and Jodie narrowly escaped a fire in the local pub, which led to Jodie forgiving her mother for the affair. Vanessa’s relationship with Max faced another hurdle when Harry started harassing her, throwing bricks through windows and slashing tyres. Things escalated when Harry killed Jodie’s cat, prompting Max and his brother Jack to threaten him. Despite these challenges, Vanessa and Max’s relationship seemed strong, especially after she revealed to Jodie that Harry wasn’t her real father, but a Portuguese fisherman was.

Max’s unresolved feelings for Tanya, however, cast a shadow over his relationship with Vanessa. Even after proposing to Vanessa on a whim, Max couldn’t stay away from Tanya, leading to secret meetings in a bedsit. Vanessa, ever the detective, found a suspicious perfume and confronted Tanya, who covered for Max. The truth eventually came out, and Vanessa’s world crumbled when Max admitted he no longer loved her. Heartbroken and furious, Vanessa exposed Max and Tanya’s affair to Tanya’s husband, Greg, causing a massive fallout.

Vanessa’s downward spiral continued as she smashed up Max’s house in a fit of rage. Thrown out onto the street by Carol Jackson, Vanessa found herself at rock bottom. Michael Moon, seeing an opportunity, offered her money to help him get revenge on his father, Eddie. Desperate for cash to fund Jodie’s wedding, Vanessa agreed. She even tried to get financial help from Harry, but Jodie refused to let him attend the wedding if he didn’t support Vanessa.

In a final twist, Vanessa confessed her feelings for Eddie, but their relationship was short-lived. Eddie planned to move to Spain and asked Vanessa to steal Michael’s money. Caught on CCTV, Vanessa panicked and confessed to Jodie. Thinking she was going to prison, Vanessa said her goodbyes, only to be left stranded by Eddie, who drove off with the cash. Alone and heartbroken, Vanessa walked away in the rain, never to be seen again.