EastEnders actor reveals truth about Reiss and Debbie's past after sinister theory

Actor Jonny Freeman, who plays EastEnders killer Reiss Colwell, has addressed a sinister viewer theory about his character's past.

Viewers know that Reiss recently killed his wife Debbie Colwell on the BBC soap, years after a health issue led to her requiring full-time care. Debbie had been in a care home for a couple of years after suffering a stroke.

But amid a twist in a recent episode as well as her death, some hints about Reiss' past left viewers convinced he might have sparked her health decline. With Debbie apparently planning on leaving Reiss a week before her stroke, fans wondered if Debbie was stopped by Reiss.

A twist with her will also hinted Debbie didn't love her husband, after her mother claimed she planned to end their marriage. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror at the Inside Soap Awards 2024 on Monday 30 September, actor Jonny addressed the theory that he was behind Debbie's health decline.

The actor confirmed the truth about the marriage from Reiss' side, as he ruled out Reiss' involvement in what happened to Debbie, while Reiss did murder her recently. He told us: "No he didn't know she didn't feel the same way.

"I don't know if it's my place to say but he didn't cause her stroke. The way I look at it, Debbie's parents are getting angry now... but if they were suspicious of Reiss maybe they'd have been a bit more interested when she went into the care home?

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"Or maybe that's all to be revealed. I advocate for Reiss as he lost all of his money paying for her care, so in his mind he's done right by her. Maybe not by killing her but even then I think in his mind, it was consensual and it was mercy, however mad that might be."

On the twist about Debbie and Reiss' marriage, he went on: "I think that's been the worst of all of it, the worst thing that's happened to him. He's been involved in a complicated love story with one woman in a coma for many years, and that's when he finds out his wife didn't feel the same way.

"So in many ways out of all the things that have happened to Reiss in the past weeks, finding that out is the hardest thing to hear but he's under a huge amount of pressure so we'll have to see if there is a way out for him, but it doesn't look good."

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and Threads .