Ben was abused by his stepmother and yet she still made him think she wasn't alive? What kind of mother would do that?

She doesn't know about the abuse

She let him think she was dead years before the abuse and unless Phil or someone else was sending her info on the sly then she had no idea what was going on with Ben.

[quote=Hank1234;78357756]She doesn't know about the abuse.

Is Ben aware that Kathy is alive?

[quote=vaslav37;78357781]
No

She was practically in hiding for the last 9 years. If she knew about Stella, she'd have probably come back from the dead and killed her with her bare hands before she could jump off that roof.

I'm guessing Kathy knows virtually nothing about the past ten years of what both her sons have got up to or been through, I hope they do address it though, it got a be a mighty big reason she would abandon her son like that.

Did Phil always know?

I genuinely believe he always knew!

They implied during live week that Phil had just found out - hence the urgency to speak to Ian plus the brief return of Peggy.

I don't think there's anything to suggest he's known all along.

Kathy must have done it because Ben staying with her would have been worse than him being brought up by Phil (obviously she couldn't foresee Stella).

She might have seen it on Eastenders

Does Kathy know about Jane or is she still thinking Ian is married to Laura?

I think that will be the least of her worries..

She must do as Ian was dating Jane for about a year before Kathy 'died'.

I wonder how she'd react to having a grandson she knows nothing about killing her granddaughter.

Or that her younger son is a dad, but has nothing to do with his child's life.

Kathy does know about Bobby she even met him when he was little. In the summer of 2004 after Laura's death and discovering Bobby was his son Ian and the kids took an extended holiday to South Africa to visit Kathy. She also knows about Jane as Ian and Jane were living together for over a year before Kathy's fake death they never met in person but did speak on the phone.

I highly doubt Kathy knows anything that has happened to Ian and Ben in the last 10 years Lucy's murder Stella abuse etc. I have my doubts that she even knew that Phil was out of prison at the time of her "death" as he'd only been released a few months beforehand. I can't imagine she'd have been happy leaving Ben to brought up by Phil she may not have been aware he was out of prison and thought Ian would be the one brining Ben up.

The idea that Kathy let Ian and Ben think she was dead for almosf a decade is quite shocking. They will have to explain that one well. As well as letting Ben live with Phil. Phil isn't a good parent!