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Lexi Billie Pearce (christened as Mitchell) is the daughter of Lola Pearce-Brown and Ben Mitchell, who was born and made her first appearance on 23 July 2012, after Lola went into labour whilst her great-grandfather, Billy was carrying the Olympic Flame through Walford.
Storylines[]
2012-2015: Birth, custody battle and departure with Lola[]
Lexi is conceived during a one-night stand between Lola and Ben, when Ben was discovering his sexuality. Lola discovers she is pregnant in November 2011, but denies that Ben is the father and Abi Branning breaks up with Jay Brown when she thinks he is the father of Lola's baby, however they get back together when she realises Jay is not the father.
Phil later wins custody of Lexi and is allowed to be her kinship foster carer but Lola's access is not increased, leaving her devastated.
At the final court hearing, Phil can see how much Lexi means to Lola and says that Lola deserves her daughter. Because of this, Lexi is returned to Lola. Lola then starts a relationship with Peter Beale and he moves in with Lola, Lexi and Billy. Lola and Peter eventually went their separate ways but Ben still took no interest in his daughter.
In March 2014, Lexi is kidnapped by Adam White, in retaliation to Ronnie Mitchell not disclosing the whereabouts of Carl White, who was killed in the New Year by Ronnie.
In 2017, Ben's sister Louise Mitchell is rushed to hospital, following her getting burnt in a fire at her school prom. Louise's mother Lisa Fowler shows up at the hospital and she and Ben get into an argument over Louise. Lisa tells Ben that he doesn't understand how she feels because he has no children and Ben replies back to Lisa telling her that he does have a daughter, named Lexi.
2019-2024: Return and losing Lola[]
In April 2019, Lexi returned to Walford with Lola and Ben, with Ben explaining that he was working in Newcastle and didn’t want to miss out on Lexi growing up, so while he was there he visited his daughter regularly. Ben seems to have a very good bond with Lexi and in turn, she seems to worship her father. Shortly after their return, Ben begins a relationship with Callum Highway, who Lexi absolutely adores.
After Ben becomes deaf following a boat accident, Lexi teaches Ben some sign language which she learned and he begins to accept his fate, although remains desperate to regain his hearing. Lexi accidentally gets knocked over by a car when in Ben’s care as he couldn’t hear her shouting - but with just a few bumps and scrapes, Lexi soon recovers. Lola then becomes worried about Ben looking after their daughter on his own, however when Ben gets a cochlear implant, his hearing returns.
The police turn up outside The Vic where Ben, Lola, Lexi and the rest of his family are celebrating christmas and Ben’s brother Ian assumes the police are there for Ben, however the police weren’t there for him. After Lexi asks Ben why her Uncle wanted the police to take her Dad away, he goes to aggravate Ian. Ben tells him that unlike Ian, he doesn’t want to be the father where his children hate him and wants to do a better job with Lexi and warns him to watch what he says around her.
When Ben and Jay are talking over drinks, Jay tells Ben that Callum seems to be great with Lexi, after Ben tells him that Callum and Lexi are sorting out balloons and organising Phil’s birthday. He responds to him and says that he’s actually amazing with her. Jay then questions if he’s still wanting to propose to which Ben shrugged off with a maybe and Jay tells him he should as nobody else will be stupid enough to marry him.
Ben gets a call from Lexi’s school as she’s fallen ill and needs picking up, Ben can’t do it because he’s busy so he asks Callum to pick her up. Ben finds out that he isn’t allowed as he isn’t on the approved list so he asks Lola to ring the school to add Callum to the list but Lola refuses, telling Ben that Callum isn’t family and that “as good as family” isn’t enough. Lola continues to say that it isn’t her fault they haven’t “tied the knot” and only close family she can trust will be picking Lexi up from school. Later, Ben and Callum are talking and Callum seems to understand that Lola is only trying to keep Lexi safe. Ben seems confused because Callum lives with them to which Callum tells him it’s not the same because he isn’t ‘actually’ family. He then tell Callum that he can sort it if they go down to the registry office and sign the papers to make it official and then he won’t have to worry about the list. Callum is slightly shocked and confused and asks Ben if he is asking if they should get married to which Ben said that it makes sense to. Callum is a little upset and disappointed that Ben asked him like that and walks out but Ben doesn’t realise what he did.
Ben tells Lola and Lexi that he proposed to Callum and insisted it wasn’t to get him on the list as he was thinking about it anyway. Lola is shocked to learn that he proposed to him in the kitchen to which Lexi tells him that someone needs to teach him about romance. Lexi creates a chart with a planned proposal on it, which Callum accidently sees but Ben throws him off the scent by telling him it’s Lexi’s school project and starts speaking negatively about the idea of marriage.
While they set up for the proposal, Ben is nervous and worries about the timing but he soon gets a call from Callum and meets him in the square. Ben realises that Callum is proposing to him but tries to act oblivious and rush him along. Callum then arrives and walks in on the suprise proposal but Ben isn’t there, he then rings Ben and apologises telling him he wanted everything to be perfect. Ben then shouts him from the balcony of The Prince Albert with a large bouquet of roses. When Ben and Callum standing on the balcony with the roses, Ben tells Callum that there is no other man he would stand on a freezing balcony for and that he knows he has stuck so lucky. Callum then tells him that for his whole life he never felt like he was enough, but with Ben he feels like they can take on the world and he knows he isn’t perfect. Lexi then shouts up and tells Callum that there is no one else she would rather have as her other dad, before Ben and Callum propose at the same time to which they both say yes and kiss, while watching the fireworks. Lexi later attends their wedding.
On 1 August 2022, Lola is left to her cheer Lexi on by herself at a dance performance when Ben doesn’t show up. Ben shows up moments before she goes in though. Lexi passes her audition, with Lola saying they need to celebrate, before waiting outside for the two. Lexi then asks Ben why he was late, and Ben replied by telling her it was the tube being late, and that he knew Lexi would pass as she’s amazing at Ballet. Lexi reminds him it was Tap dancing, and Lexi tells him he misses him being around, saying he never sees her anymore. Ben then shouts at Lexi, bringing her to tears. Later at Kathy’s, Lola assures Lexi that Ben will be there for the celebration, with Bobby Beale and Tom Cotton trying to entertain Lexi. Lexi then dismisses herself from the table. When Lola returns from checking on Lexi, she tells Kathy she’s still upset over Ben and that Ben should be there and Tom says he’ll be there eventually, and then Jay and Callum knocks on the door to let Ben know that Jay is moving in with Callum. When Lexi sees them, Callum asks how Lexi did at her exam, and she tells him he passed. Lexi checks her phone, and finds a message from Ben, with him sounding drunk, alarming them all. Lola then takes Lexi to watch TV.
On 14 September 2022, Lexi attends Kat and Phil’s wedding, however it doesn’t go ahead. Ben still dances with her like he promised to though, and he apologised for not being around, but Lexi accepts his apology. On 29 September 2022, Lexi goes to the cafe with Lola, Ben and Callum. Lexi asks to interview Callum for a school project, saying Callum is the only person she knows with a cool job, and Callum accepts. Lexi asks why he wanted to be a police officer, if he’s ever arrested someone and if he needs to be strong to be a police officer.
In October 2022, Lexi gets a place on a pageant. Lola and Jay take Lexi to the Minute Mart, where she asks what crisps to get. The two give a different answer and Lexi jokes that they’re not eating them. The following month, Lexi hears from Lily Slater and her stepfather, Martin Fowler that her mother and Jay are back together. She is upset as she realised they were lying to her and also Ben about it. She forgives them for not telling her, but warns them that they'll regret lying to her again. Towards the end of October, Lola endures a full blown seizure at Lexi's beauty pageant. She is taken to hospital with Jay by her side and she is given the devastating news that she has a high grade glioblastoma; an aggressive brain tumour. Lola decides not to tell Lexi that she is ill, but Lexi overhears her talking to Billy, Honey and Ben about her recent diagnosis. Lexi is distant with Ben the next day and demands to see her mum, who has to go back to the hospital for observation and treatment. With help from Callum, Ben reluctantly takes Lexi to see Lola, who realises that she does know that there is something wrong with her. Lola tells Lexi that she has a brain tumour and Lexi asks if she is going to die. Lola lies to her and tells her she will fight through it because she has her by her side to help her.
In November 2022, Lexi finds a letter addressed to Lola, saying that she needs further treatment for her tumour which she believed was already gone and realises Lola has lied to her again and confronts her about it. Lola tells Lexi that she can't promise a good outcome as there is a possibility that she could die from it. Lexi accepts this news and tells her mum she loves her. On Christmas Eve, Lexi brushes Lola's hair, which begins to fall out from her first course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Lola breaks down and Lexi comforts her. The next day on Christmas Day, Jay surprises Lola with a proposal, which she originally declines as she thinks Jay only wants to marry her out of sympathy. Jay reassures her that he wants to marry her because he's always loved her. Lola accepts the proposal and the two become engaged, much to the delight of Lexi. In the New Year, Jay and Lola get married and Lexi is a bridesmaid. At the reception, she, Ben and Callum (who recently got back together after Lola's diagnosis), perform a dance for Lola and Jay.
Lexi and her family's world is turned upside down when Lola's estranged biological mother, Emma Harding turns up. It is revealed that Billy looked her up with the help of Jay and offered for her to attend Jay and Lola's wedding but she did not want to because she knew Lola would probably turn her away for abandoning her when she was three years old. Lola finds out the truth; the reason why Emma really left her was because her father, Dan Pearce was domestically abusing her and she was terrified of him. She assumed social services would take Lola away as Dan wouldn't let Emma take her with her. She showed Lola her scar on her stomach as proof, given that Dan threw a boiling kettle at her. Lola felt guilty for believing that her dad claimed to love her. Billy assured her that he probably did, despite the fact that he never knew his son but reminded her that he was just like Dan when he was young, as he mistreated Lola's cousin, Jamie Mitchell. She is reminded to give Emma another chance if she thinks she can trust her and Lola stops Emma as she prepares to leave the square. Emma promises to be there for Lola and Lexi for as long as they need her and she meets Lexi a few days later. On Mother's Day, Lexi wants to treat Lola to a day out at McClunky's, but Emma interferes and suggests a dinner at Walford East. Lexi is angry with Emma for trying to "steal" Lola from her on the day because she knows that it will be Lola's final Mother's Day. Lexi and Emma make amends and agree to share Lola between them so that she can spend time with both of them because they both care so much for her. At a charity fundraiser for brain tumour awareness, Lola breaks the news to Lexi and her family that the tumour is growing bigger and the chemotherapy and radiotherapy isn't working for her. Lexi is heartbroken as she is told the worst that her mum will eventually die. Emma takes the news hard and decides to leave Walford, claiming that she needs to go and work away in the United States. Lola isn't buying Emma's story and figures out that her illness is too much for her and tells her she is not surprised that she wants to walk away as she did it before when she was little. She tells Emma to go and to never come back and Emma leaves the following night.
Over the next few months, Lola's illness begins to get worse. She is unable to walk properly and experiences agonising pain in her arms. She undergoes treatment for the pain at the hospital and she is given the news from her doctor that her prognosis is poor. She was originally told she would have six months to live, but because her cancer is aggressive, she now has less than a few weeks left to live, devastating her and her family. She tries to tell Lexi the truth but realises it will break her heart and manages to keep it from her. The day before she is discharged, she and Jay take a trip to Margate. Lola reminisces about the time she had her first kiss under the pier when she was a teenager, also saying that she hasn't been back to Margate since before her dad died. Jay and Lola win some unicorns at an amusement store. Lola steals a ruby necklace for Lexi's future 16th birthday which irritates Jay as he told her they wouldn't be able to afford it. Jay takes the blame for Lola and is interviewed at a police station but after telling the police the reason why he stole it, he is given a caution and the shopkeeper who caught them stealing it allows for Jay to take the necklace for Lexi. The next day, Lola is discharged as she decides that she wants to spend her final weeks at home and she has a hospital bed delivered to her house to help with her mobility. Ben is determined to make sure that Lola can be saved and he travels to America to try and get Lola onto a medical trial to save her life. Meanwhile, Lola quickly gets weaker and spends a final day with her close family and friends before her time comes to an end. On a windy night at the end of May 2023, Lola is surrounded by her loved ones, while her friends reminisce on memories of her during a darts game at the Queen Vic. Phil, Billy and Jay are struggling to cope with the upcoming loss of Lola; Billy, because he looked after her for several years after he found her at a care home after her dad died, Jay because she is the love of his life and Phil because of his guilt from how he treated her when Lexi was a baby. Lexi and Jay have a brief argument when she wants to play Lola's favourite song and paint her nails, so Jay apologises for snapping at her and lets her have some time with her mum. Lexi changes her mind about the nail colour on her mum's nails and leaves them as they are. She lets Jay spend some time with Lola and the rest of the family fall asleep in the night. As the sun comes up, Jay goes to the toilet and when he comes back, he is devastated as he realises that Lola has already passed away. He feels guilty that he left her for a few minutes and Lexi wakes up next to her mum, as she sees Jay crying. She tells him that she fell asleep on purpose for them so she wouldn't be in any more pain and she and Jay cradle Lola as they mourn her death. The following morning, Lexi is at Kathy's house and is distant from Ben when he returns to the horror that Lola is already dead. He tries to apologise to Lexi for not being there when she needed him and she runs away. Ben, with the help of newcomer George Knight, talks Lexi round and promises her that he will never let her down again. Lexi forgives Ben and the two mourn over Lola together.
As Lola's funeral approaches, Lexi expresses that she wants to give a reading at the funeral but Ben doesn't think she is strong enough and Lexi runs to her room in tears and looks at a picture of her mum. After a talk with Jay and realising how much it would mean to her, Ben changes his mind and offers to help her read it if she struggles. Lexi is happy that Ben is letting her make her own decisions, but she is left panicking outside Walford East when Ben disappears to be sick after eating a meal with her and Jay. Lexi finds Billy outside the undertakers and runs to him as she doesn't know where Ben has gone. Ben turns up and tries to explain what he had been doing but Billy takes Lexi home. A week later, Lola's funeral takes place. Lexi, along with Billy and Jay all give readings out about Lola. Lexi also plays a video montage celebrating Lola's life. Lola's wake is more upbeat and less sad than a usual wake, as she did not want anyone to be feeling down after her death and she loved a good party. So everyone celebrates her life the way that she would have wanted. The staff at the Queen Vic contribute and organise a small fete called Lola Fest, even naming a burger after her, which was called Lolalicious. Lexi gives Billy a memory stick with some additional footage of Lola before she died, expressing to Lexi why she really loved Jay. Billy passed the memory stick onto Jay at the request of Lexi to "make sure he watches it to the end". Jay is even more heartbroken as reality hits him that he will never see Lola again. He contemplates throwing the memory stick away, saying that it was stupid of him to keep it, but he changes his mind after a talk with Ben. Before Lola died, she had a few arrangements regarding Lexi's care. She requested that Ben and Callum keep sole custody of her, but because Jay also did a lot for her growing up, she also wanted him to have parental custody of Lexi to which Ben eventually agreed to. Jay and Ben attended a parental role hearing in the beginning of August and Jay was approved to be Lexi's main legal guardian.
In September 2023, Lexi starts Walford High. Ben is the one who is more anxious about her starting secondary school and Lexi assures him that she will be fine, despite a wobble the previous night. She enjoys her time at her new school and makes a few new friends. It is soon revealed that she is talking to Emma via text message and Emma returns when Ben finds the messaged between her and Lexi on Lexi's phone. Emma insists that she felt guilty for leaving Lola and apologised for not being there for her, as she admits she thought she was doing what was best for herself, not for her daughter or Lexi. After a brief fling with Phil, Emma leaves again and promises Lexi she will stay in contact. Lexi and her family later find out that Phil cheated on his wife, Kat Mitchell with Emma and this results in Kat leaving Phil. Jay and Honey participate in the London marathon after it was revealed via video footage from Lola on Christmas Day 2023 that she signed Jay up for it with the help of Honey. Lexi and her family attend the marathon to support Jay and Honey. Honey proposes to Billy after completing the run and he accepts, as he was also planning to propose to her but was anxious of her response.
In March 2024 on Ben's birthday, he is arrested as it is revealed he scammed some people in America and stole money to try and pay for the trial he was going to get Lola on before she died. He originally wanted Phil's help to get him and Lexi out of the country but Callum was against this idea as he did not want Lexi to live her life on the run. Ben changes his mind and decides to serve his time in prison, on the condition that Lexi is looked after.
In April 2024, Lexi befriends the new girl that Whitney Dean and Zack Hudson have fostered, called Britney Wainwright. She offers to show Britney around at Walford High but Britney insists she's not a baby. When Zack bribes Britney with £20 to spend at the shops on Bridge Street with Lexi, Britney quickly begins a friendship with her. However on their way to school, Britney is bullied by some other girls in hers and Lexi's year. Lexi tries to stop the fight and tells Britney to join her at school but Britney refuses. Lexi asks Whitney for help and Britney decides to go to school with Lexi and forget about the bullies and what they think. When Whitney warns one of the girls to stay away from Britney, she takes it out on Britney and Lexi by telling them that Whitney previously warned her away and that she should expect more bullying from her because of it. Not long after Whitney gives birth to her baby girl, she and Britney leave to live in Wakefield. On Jay's 30th birthday in October 2024, Lola has a video message for him which he shows to Phil and Kat.
2025-: Phil's psychotic depression[]
Resident history[]
| Address | Years |
|---|---|
| 45 Albert Square | 2019-2020 |
| 20 Albert Square | 2021-2022 |
| 18 Albert Square | 2022-2023 |
| 29B Albert Square | 2022-2023 (occasionally) 2023- |
Background information[]
- On 13 March 2023, it is stated Lexi has a TikTok account.