family issues such as her stepdaughter Amy Mitchell’s (Ellie Dadd) self-harming and Ricky becoming a father at twelve-years-old. Denise does her best to support the children and acts as Jack’s voice of reason as the pressures of family life lead to him to become stressed and constantly angry. Due to stresses from home and from work, Jack begins to neglect Denise. Denise becomes friendly with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiari) who is attracted to her and Denise is flattered by the attention he gives her. She is tempted by him but remains loyal to Jack until Valentine’s night when, upset to find out that Jack only made an effort for her at Amy’s request, Denise kisses Ravi. Feeling guilty, Denise attempts to keep her distance from Ravi but ultimately ends up having sex with him. Creation and development Casting and introduction On 7 November 2005, the BBC announced that Diane Parish had been cast in EastEnders as a "sassy, strong" character with links to the established Wicks family, who would be "a force to be reckoned with." Parish had previously appeared in the serial as singer Lola Christie in 1998. In January 2006, Parish's character was revealed to be Denise Fox, who would embark on a romance with fellow newcomer Kevin Wicks (Phil Daniels). Tiana Benjamin was cast as Denise's daughter Chelsea, and spoke of her admiration for Parish, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to work with her. Lara Gould of the Sunday Mirror described the new characters as the "feisty Fox family", revealing that Denise would have a second, younger daughter, Elizabeth ["Libby"], played by Belinda Owusu. Gould reported that the family would "arrive in Albert Square with a bang and [...] cause friction from the off", expanding: "The Fox girls don't take any nonsense – they'll be a force to be reckoned with." Lee Ross was later cast as Denise's former husband and Libby's father Owen Turner. Kris Green of media and entertainment website Digital Spy described Owen as having had "a disappointing life", revealing that Denise had separated from him as a result of his heavy drinking. Storyline development Denise went on to marry Kevin, acting as stepmother to his children Carly (Kellie Shirley) and Dean (Matt Di Angelo). Parish briefly departed from the show to take maternity leave, and when Daniels declined to renew his contract, he, Shirley and Di Angelo were written out permanently, coinciding with Parish's