Earlier in the week, fans of the BBC soap discovered that Derek (played by Ian Lavender) failed to disclose his criminal record to the Minute Mart.
Naturally, he got the sack and went on to have an argument with troublesome teenager Keegan Baker (Zack Morris) when he suffered homophobic abuse.
Tonight, Johnny (Ted Reilly) managed to sit Derek down as he opened up about his past.
It soon emerged that aged only 22, Derek lived with his partner Pip, 20, who was under the age of homosexual consent at the time.
The law has since changed twice in 1994 to 18 and then in 2001 to 16.
A police break-in led the authorities to discover the pair’s living arrangement which landed Derek with a nine-month sentence in prison for gross indecency.
When he was finally released from jail however, Pip had married someone else and didn’t want to speak to the poor Albert Square resident.
Unable to continue with his dream of becoming a teacher after being branded a “pervert”, Derek stayed hidden in the closet for years.
Johnny was shocked to hear what Derek had been through and even more saddened to learn that he was planning on leaving the Square for good.
Will the young Carter be able to persuade Derek to stay or will his secret once more force him to up and leave?
EastEnders continues tomorrow on BBC One at 8pm.
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