Lola Pearce | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Danielle Harold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 2011–2015, 2019–2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 4246 12 July 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last appearance | Episode 6995 9 October 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by |
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Spin-off appearances | Billy's Olympic Nightmare (2012) The Queen Vic Quiz Night (2020) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lola Pearce-Brown (also Pearce) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Danielle Harold. She was introduced as the granddaughter of Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) and Julie Perkins (Cathy Murphy), and an extension to the already established Mitchell family. Lola made her first appearance on 12 July 2011. Her storylines have mainly focused on her relationship with her family, a teenage pregnancy after a one-night stand with her third cousin once removed Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe/Harry Reid/Max Bowden), fighting to keep newborn daughter Lexi out of care, her friendships with Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald), Dexter Hartman (Khali Best) and later Frankie Lewis (Rose Ayling-Ellis), relationships with Peter Beale (Ben Hardy/Dayle Hudson) and Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick), improving her situation by becoming a hairdresser, having an abortion after becoming pregnant by Jay, and being diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumour which resulted in her death.
Some critics gave a positive response to Lola's introduction. Kate Woodward of Inside Soap said Lola's introduction had been a "revelation" and Tony Stewart from the Daily Mirror stated "in little less than a month on the Square, the spirited Lola has already created havoc." On 23 July 2012, Lola gave birth to her daughter, Lexi Pearce, during a seven-minute live segment, making her the first character to ever give birth live on EastEnders and the second character ever in soap opera. On 13 June 2015, it was announced that Harold was exiting her role as Lola after being written out of the show. Harold left the show on 28 July 2015. Bosses left the door open for her to return, and a return for the character was announced on 20 December 2018. Lola returned on 1 April 2019. On 15 June 2022, it was announced that Harold had been axed from EastEnders once again, and Lola's death was broadcast on 31 May 2023, after a storyline of her battling a terminal brain tumour.[1][2] Following on from her death, Lola continued to make appearances via video recordings up to 9 October 2024.