Bernice receives the unexpected proposal on the
day of their wedding, just when it looks like the lavish ceremony is
about to be called off.
Bernice will sleep with her old flame Andy Sugden after they cross paths on her hen night.
Lawrence's
daughter Chrissie spots the pair together and reports back to her
father, who still isn't prepared to give up on the idea of a happy life
with Bernice.
Samantha Giles, who plays Bernice, explained: "Bernice is definitely
still in love with Andy and she has to deal with those feelings. When she sees Andy on her hen night, she thinks he's offering her a way
out of the situation and he's her knight in shining armour. Bernice
thinks there's a chance of a future with Andy and she doesn't have to be
trapped in a sexless marriage with Lawrence. The morning after they've slept together, it's with trepidation that
Bernice asks Andy whether it means anything else can happen between
them. He says no, it was great but he can't give her anything else. Bernice's heart is broken as she would have called the wedding off if
she thought that Andy wanted to be with her. She thinks she's got to go
and tell Lawrence and face the music, but she realises as soon as she
gets to Home Farm that Chrissie has already beaten her to it."
While Bernice is expecting Lawrence to dump
her, he actually gives her a free pass to sleep with other men if they
go ahead with the wedding. He does so as he accepts that he can't give
her the physical side of a relationship that she craves.
Giles
continued: "Bernice is really shocked by what Lawrence says to her. If
she was my friend, I'd say don't do it! In my opinion, an open marriage
is not a marriage. What's the point in getting married? You might as
well split up and see other people. But
it's more common than we think and maybe it does work for some people.
Lawrence and Bernice would be a good match if it wasn't for the physical
situation. I think they're a really interesting partnership and it's
interesting that there isn't a physical side, because it's something
that hasn't really been done before and it's a great thing to explore."
Bernice has to make a final decision on whether she wants to marry Lawrence. Even if she does, there's another twist when Andy has a last-minute change of heart and braces himself to steal Bernice away again.
Pondering the possibilities, Giles concluded: "I hope Bernice doesn't
get her happy ever after, because I think that's the point of a
character like her. As soon as she's happy, all of the tension and the
drama goes. I think it's more interesting that she can't quite grab what
she's reaching for."
Airs Tuesday, November 24th