It can't just be drink. She has strange outbursts now, including when she was talking to Jane I think she suddenly told her to be quiet when she wasn't saying anything and then there was the whole thing about running away hysterically from her own granddaughter.

Is it just 'old woman falling on hard times' or are we going down another route with this?

it could be some form of dementia. Some dementia gives people hallucinations ( Lewy body dementia) Sometimes, it looks as if Cora is seeing something that is not there.

It could be that the scriptwriters have finally lost the plot?

Dementia again?. So soon after Sylvie Carter??.

Dementia doesn't really operate on a quote system.

Sometimes alcoholism can cause hallucinations especially in people who are older and are very heavy drinkers and have been for years. I reckon most people have seen "tramps" (horrible word) who seem to be talking to themselves or shouting in the street and fighting with imaginary assailants.
I'm not sure dementia for Cora would be given to the character so soon after Sylvie.

I don't think it's dementia but some kind of breakdown. The writers need to look at Cora's drinking. Ann needs a challenging storyline.

It could be a breakdown made worse by drink. Stan's death, homelessness, Lauren and Tanya moving away, Dexter's going along with Ava and Abi becoming "a Mitchell" would all contribute to extreme stress for an older woman. She's found herself alone and homeless which is enough to make anyone have a breakdown let alone at Cora's age. Imagine living on the streets and how you would cope then imagine being in your 70s and literally sleeping on the pavement in London. Ann Mitchell has captured this to a tee. She has improved immensely since her return, her acting is brilliant. I hope this story is explored properly and doesn't get forgotten for weeks. That's the trouble with block storytelling. A storyline like this should stay at the forefront after all we all get old and with the austerity measures by the tories a storyline like this is very relevant currently for a lot of people.

agree she seems to be not coping with her grief, she feels alone and abandoned by her family and she is homeless

Cora is one of my favourite characters in the show I really hope this is them beginning to invest the time in her character she has the acting ability and prescense to be one of the leading matriarchs of the show so really hope DTC invests the time with her. Re-visits the Ava storyline properly without Dexter though, and bring back Rainie to exore their relationship further either of these could be a way to reintroduce Tanya also

If your an Ann Mitchell fan there is a lovely interview with her about working class women in Acting. Ann has done many of the classics, she talks about her role in EastEnders too.

She is my favourite character in the show.

No need to bring Ava back.

I would prefer Rainie.

I agree. Ava didn't work out very well. The storyline didn't make any sense, she moved to Albert Square and then practically ignored Cora. Why would anyone behave like that? EE wasn't in a good state back then.

I think Dexter & Sam destroyed Ava & Cora's relationship.

I am catching up with last night's episode- Ann is just great on every scene she is in.

I just feel so sorry for her at the moment.

I'm hoping for a slow-burning dementia storyline, so people can see how the illness develops and how debilitating it progresses to be. She could take medication to slow down the process, to have her stay in the show longer, but it could still highlight the long-term effects of the illness.

It'll be interesting to learn what happened between her last scenes in April as she left a message on Tanya's phone to being revealed as homeless in July or so (the first time was around the community centre during the Masoods' Iftar).

Before she left she vowed to expose Aunt Babe, but given her current condition it'll probably be the Carters who expose her dark secrets. The Ramsgate stuff sounds really exciting. It hasn't been mentioned since that brilliant sister-themed episode in April.

I don't want a dementia storyline for Cora.

True. Though of course, sometimes the Homeless can have become that way in the first place due to some kind of mental illness so it can be a chicken and egg situation.

However, both heavy drinking and withdrawal (detox) can involve hallucinations and paranoia so it is probably that. The extra stress of being homeless could have pushed it over the edge.

Sam and Dexter Definetly killed Ava as a caracter. We are definitely set for Cora V Babe in the not so distant future.

Agreed. I think mental illness contributes to homelessness in a great many cases. Unfortunately a lot of people who are ill don't get the help they need and lose their homes either through not paying rent etc or through "anti social behaviour". One of my neighbours had a breakdown after a stillbirth. She did various things involving a tin of paint before deliberately setting fire to the flat for which she was sent to prison. She was assessed in prison and then given a place in a hospital. Another neighbour had problems that caused him to frighten most of us and he had to move out. Anyone can become ill when things happen that we can't cope with. I also agree that withdrawal from alcohol (and drugs) can cause distressing symptoms including hallucinations, paranoia and panic. Unfortunately people are often neglected or shunned when they have alcohol or drug problems or mental illness. Then they slip through the net.

Terrible judgement from Lorraine Newman here. Ava and Cora's storyline was wasted.

I've love to see Cora in the Vic with the Carters. It would really put the boot in with Babe: Cora automatically achieving everything Babe has worked for (and been denied) for her entire life.

I just want to see her back on the Square and well again.