Rachel Branning

Name: Rachel Branning
First Appeared: 14th August 2006
Last Appeared: 5th March 2010
Played by: Pooky Quesnel

Rachel Branning was a woman scorned and she made sure everyone in Walford knew it. Her story started when she married Max Branning at 18 and soon welcomed their son, Bradley. But life took a nosedive when Max had an affair with Tanya Cross. Rachel walked in on them, and that was the end of their marriage. Despite her begging and tears, Max left her for Tanya, shattering her world and leaving their son Bradley devastated. Rachel moved to Tring with Bradley, trying to build a new life.

Rachel’s first return to Albert Square in 2006 was packed with bitterness. She wasn’t over Max’s betrayal and made sure Tanya knew it by attacking her at the opening of Booty. Her mission? To break up Max and Tanya. She even tried to kiss Max, but he wasn’t having it. After apologizing to Tanya, Rachel headed back to Tring.

But she was back again in 2007, determined to take control of Bradley’s wedding to Stacey Slater. She took jabs at Tanya whenever she could and warned Stacey about Max, clueless that Stacey was already having an affair with him. The drama escalated, and in 2008, after finding out about the affair, Rachel whisked Bradley off to Tring to help him recover.

Rachel’s bitterness never quite faded. In 2009, she attended Bradley and Syd Chambers’ leaving party, once again clashing with Tanya and warning her about Max’s cheating ways. Later that year, Rachel found herself in a car accident caused by Masood Ahmed’s dozing off at the wheel. Despite being hospitalized, Rachel saw through Max’s attempt to con her out of money and handed him a cheque for £3,000 out of sympathy for his kids.

Her final return to Walford was her most heart-breaking. Max called to inform her that Bradley had died after falling from the rooftop of The Queen Victoria. Rachel’s grief was palpable at his funeral in March 2010, where she laid flowers on Bradley’s grave alongside Dot.