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Dennis "Denny" Rickman Jr was the son of Sharon Watts and the late Dennis Rickman, whom he was named after, although he was later adopted by Sharon’s husband Phil Mitchell - however Denny told Phil he didn’t want to change his surname as it honoured his biological father. Denny is also the father of Alyssa Lennox.

Dennis was seen as a spoilt and bratty child throughout his childhood, the main reason being Sharon moddy cuddle him since birth. Dennis often bullied kids in and around his age, such as Will Mitchell and Bobby Beale. Idolising Phil, Dennis thought he could do what or said what he liked to the residents of Walford, this often landed him in trouble, with Sharon defending countless times.

As he aged, Dennis started to become more thuggish and even hits Sharon at one point. In February 2020, Dennis is killed in a Boat Crash that was unintentionally caused by his adoptive father, Phil, after being locked in a room by Ian Beale. Ian attempted to save Dennis, but it was too late. The day Dennis died was the same day his younger brother, Albie Watts was born.

Well over a year after his death, in November 2021, Dennis is revealed to be a father to a baby girl named Alyssa Lennox, having slept with Jada Lennox merely months before his death.

Storylines

2005-2012: Early Life

Having believed that she was infertile, Sharon discovers that she is pregnant on Christmas Day 2005. Dennis is stabbed and killed in the early hours of New Year's Day 2006, and Sharon moves to Florida, where she gives birth to Dennis Jnr. In July 2006, Pauline Fowler receives the news that Sharon has given birth to her son.

2012-2014: Arrival in Walford

Dennis appears in August 2012, on the day of Sharon's wedding, to her partner, John Hewland. Sharon discovers that he is missing, and eventually realises that John has kidnapped him. Sharon asks her ex-lover Phil Mitchell, to help rescue Dennis, and he takes the pair back to Walford. Dennis starts Walford Primary School, and starts to think of Phil as a father-figure. Dennis is upset when Phil's enemy Derek Branning reveals the truth about his father's murder, as he believed that he was a helicopter pilot, who died saving others. Sharon admits to Dennis that she lied to protect him. The revelation upsets and enrages Dennis, though he later forgives his mother. In 2013, after losing their home at the local bed and breakfast, they move in with Derek's older brother, Jack. Jack teaches Dennis to box, leading to him starting a fight at school. In 2014, Sharon is attacked in her bar and as a result, she loses her temper and shakes Dennis, who is then frightened and runs away.

2015-2019: Dark Side

In early 2015, a fiery clash leads Dennis to leave scratches on his mother's face. When he misbehaves in school, and around Sharon's friends when she is not there, Sharon refuses to believe that Dennis is lying about his behaviour, and blames those that he has upset when Phil's stepson Ian Beale and his wife inform her over Dennis's misbehaviour.

On Christmas Day 2015, after overhearing Sharon and Phil during dinner, Dennis tells his best-friend and Ian's son Bobby, that he knows he killed his half-sister, Lucy. When Dennis and Bobby race their bikes, they fight on the Walford Common and Phil and Ian find Dennis. Phil is drunk whilst driving and crashes the car while distracted. Dennis is severely injured and taken to hospital. He has a subdural haematoma which requires an operation. Ian takes responsibility by saying he was driving, making a deal with Phil. However, Phil confesses that he was the one who drove the car, so when Dennis is discharged from the hospital, Sharon takes him away to stay with her father Gavin Sullivan. Dennis returns a week and a half later with Sharon for Billy and Honey Mitchell's second engagement party, only to find Phil on the floor, having collapsed from coughing up blood. Sharon reveals to Kathy Sullivan that Gavin hit Dennis during their stay and that is the reason why they left. However, in July 2016, Dennis misses Gavin and has a second mobile phone to which he only contacts Gavin from. Sharon discovers this and is furious, but is later unnerved when Gavin collects Dennis from school, and realises that he could easily abduct Dennis.

In November 2016, Sharon becomes concerned about Dennis's behaviour and decides to apply to send him to an alternative high school. Dennis takes the death of a school friend, Eddie Kendall, hard and confides in his stepsister, Louise, that he does not want Phil to die, who has rejected a transplant. Phil overhears this and announces to his family he is going on the transplant list. Sharon decides to let Dennis go to Eddie's funeral. On the day of Eddie's funeral, Dennis is unsure about going, but Phil encourages him so he does not regret it and can say goodbye. Dennis later attends the funeral. In December 2016, Dennis gets a part in the Christmas show, and volunteers to take a part that involves his and Louise's characters kissing, saying he would not mind it, but the part is given to someone else. He is later reprimanded when he gets caught watching Louise and other girls getting changed. Sharon punishes Dennis for this but Phil says he was doing what normal boys do.

While Sharon is on holiday with Phil, Sharon's best friend, Michelle Fowler, looks after Dennis and Louise. In March 2017, Dennis sees Michelle and 17-year-old Preston Cooper kissing so he starts blackmailing Michelle into buying him things and letting him stay off school. Michelle is furious when she finds out Dennis bought a video game using her credit card and Dennis brands her a paedophile, resulting in a slap from Michelle. Louise does not witness this but catches Michelle calling Dennis a "brat". Dennis demands £100 from Michelle to keep quiet about her hitting him, but she refuses and he kicks her. When Louise finds him, she tries to get through to him over arguing with Michelle and he reveals that Michelle and Preston are having an affair. The affair is revealed which leads to Michelle crashing Phil's car and Sharon returning and convincing Preston to return to the United States in April 2017. Sharon then tells Dennis and Louise to be nice to Michelle. When Louise has a party with her friends, Madison Drake and Alexandra D'Costa, Dennis turns up and Louise lets him stay, on the condition he keeps quiet about them having alcohol. Louise gets drunk after her drink is spiked and is sick, and as she staggers outside, she coughs up blood and collapses, which panics Dennis and those around Louise. In July 2017, Dennis and Will Mitchell plan to throw eggs at Keegan Baker, but accidentally hit his half-sister, Bernadette. Keegan gets into Dennis's house and tells them Bernadette is pregnant. Dennis and Will apologise and Keegan attempts to force Dennis to smoke a cigarette, but is caught and thrown out by Michelle. After this, Dennis forgives Michelle for hitting him. In August 2017, Sharon and Phil receive a date for Dennis's adoption hearing. Dennis asks Phil if he wants him to change his surname to Mitchell upon his adoption as he wants to keep his current surname, which Phil does not mind.

In 2018, Stuart Highway gets Dennis to steal the keys to the Vic as part of his plan to take revenge on the Carter family. Dennis wants a new phone but Sharon refuses so he buys a stolen phone from Jagger Rawley and he then hides a bag of phones in the garage for him, which Keanu Taylor finds. Phil sees off Jagger's gang when they arrive and they later threaten Dennis via text message. Keanu confronts the gang and they attack them both, though Phil sees them off again. The gang later kidnap Dennis but he is rescued by Keanu. Stuart gives Dennis a bag of weapons before he breaks into the Vic again and is shot. Dennis is shocked when he hears Stuart has been shot and worries that the police are looking for him, telling Sharon that he heard the gunshot.

In January 2019, Dennis becomes involved in a drug dealing gang, joined by Tiffany Butcher and Evie Steele. In April 2019, Tiffany is annoyed about Dennis speaking to one of the gang members, Stix, and has booked train tickets to Hackney. Sharon finds out about the train tickets and Dennis denies. However, Tiffany finds out and they are both caught arguing by Sharon, before Tiffany reveals to Sharon that Dennis has been meeting up with a drug dealing gang. Sharon punches Stix in front of Tiffany and Dennis. The following day, Dennis tells Phil and Sharon that Tiffany had got him into the gang and Sharon accuses Tiffany of drug grooming Dennis. Whilst talking about the recent events, Sharon shouts at Dennis for hanging around with the gang before Dennis storms off and when Sharon tries to talk to him, he punches her. He apologises to her the following day. In May 2019, Dennis receives a black eye from being hit with a football by Ollie Carter and Bailey Baker takes the blame. Dennis believes that Bailey hit him and takes revenge by throwing water balloons at Bailey's uncles Riley and Chatham Taylor, along with his friends, and videoed the incident, before being chased off by Ollie's mother and Sharon's friend Linda Carter. Karen finds out about the video from Gray Atkins and confronts Dennis. Gray warns Phil to delete the video. When being confronted by Phil, Dennis accidently pushes a pregnant Louise, hitting her stomach against the doorknob. Sharon reveals to Phil that Dennis has hit her the previous month, leading to Phil confronting Dennis. In June 2019, Dennis goes to a family therapy session with Phil and Sharon, which doesn't go well when Sharon breaks down and Dennis tries to argue with her and Phil. In November 2019, as part of revenge towards Sharon after cheating on Phil with Keanu, who impregnated her, Mel Owen tries to ply Dennis with alcohol and pretends to drug him, panicking Sharon.

2020: Fall out of the affair and death

On Christmas Day 2019, Dennis learns of the affair between Sharon and Keanu; he sides with Phil and the other Mitchells.

In January 2020, Phil leaves with Louise and her mother Lisa Fowler. Sharon tried to make Dennis believe that Phil and his son Ben murdered Keanu the previous month as part of revenge for Sharon's cheating, leading Dennis to storm off. Dennis stays at the Vic for a while, bonding with Shirley Carter. He refuses to move back in with Sharon, who is staying with Ian and his mother Kathy Beale.

On 19 February 2020, the Queen Victoria had won the best pub and was rewarded with a boat trip on the River Thames for all members of Albert Square. After Ian found out that Dennis was responsible for putting his son in hospital, he trapped him in a room on the lower deck of the boat. The boat crashed, caused by Phil and Keanu and Ian tried to save Dennis from drowning. However, The Boat rocked and made Ian drop the keys into the water, unable to be reached by Ian. Following this, Ian broke the door down with a fire extinguisher and got Dennis out. As they were about to go up the steps, a wave of water flooded the lower decks completely, Making Ian's hand slip and lose Dennis. Ian tried to find Dennis but when they got to shore, Denny died from a cardiac arrest following his Injuries. Whilst this was occurring, his mother, Sharon Mitchell gave birth to his brother, Kayden Watts. Keanu delivered the news to Sharon about Dennis, leading to Keanu's departure because of Sharon's accusation (Manslaughter of Dennis) against Keanu. After Dennis died, Walford High School had a big assembly, to inform the students and teachers of his passing. Many people started crying, including people who didn’t even know him and many teachers he hated.  

2021: Dennis’ daughter and Legacy

In November 2021, a baby girl, Alyssa Lennox, was left outside Sharon's house alongside a note which indicated the child belonged to somebody who lived there. Following a short period of uncertainty during which both Zack and Martin thought the baby might be theirs, Zack noticed somebody watching from across the square. This person turned out to be Alyssa's mother, Jada Lennox and after he caught up to her, she revealed that the father of the baby was Denny.

On 27 March 2023 Sharon re-launched Crunchtime gym, renaming it The Boxing Den in tribute to Dennis. After Phil and Kat went into equal partnership with Sharon and helped her re-launch.

Background information

See also

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