Ever since Sharon Rickman returned to EastEnders, there have been hints about a big secret that she’s hiding…

The first mention of it was made by Sharon’s jilted fiancé John (Jessie Birdsall) who threatened Sharon with exposing her secret to Phil (Steve McFadden) who had of course raced to help Sharon (Letitia Dean) get her young son Denny back.

During the dialogue, a furious John ranted at Sharon that when he’d found her, she was “in the gutter” and he added, “Does your boyfriend know?”

When Sharon furiously answered, “No, and he’s not going to…” that was the last we heard about the dark secret…

However, today, Digital Spy reports that various magazines have revealed that Sharon’s big secret is that she was – or is – addicted to painkillers.

We’ll apparently see Sharon heading off to an addicts’ support group later this month, after she begins to feel pressurized by Phil’s requests that she take over the running of the Queen Vic.

Presumably then, Alfie and Kat – who’re played by Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace – will be looking for a place to live and new jobs soon!

However, it seems that Sharon refuses, given that the place holds dozens of bad memories for her, including of course the fact that her father Den was murdered there!

DS adds, “When Phil seems reluctant to take no for an answer, Sharon begins to crack under the stress of the situation – struggling to resist the temptation of the addiction she’s been hiding since her return to Albert Square.”

We’ll see this storyline begin on Monday, September 24 at 8pm on BBC1.