changes her mind and visits him. When Gordon is unwelcoming and cannot answer Sharon's questions, it emerges that Phil has paid Gordon to pretend to be Sharon's father. She eventually manipulates Phil into admitting the truth. Sharon forces Vincent to return his half of the business, but they agree to become business partners. To pacify Sharon, Phil gives her another address for her father. She sees from his house that he must be wealthy, and realises that the two already lead separate lives; she gives up the search. Sharon believes that Max Branning (Jake Wood) is responsible for the murder of Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) (see Who Killed Lucy Beale?) but she soon discovers the truth when Cindy Williams (Mimi Keene) sends her surrogate brother Bobby Beale (Eliot Carrington) a video message on his laptop revealing that he killed her. Ian's wife Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) denies this but when Sharon remains unconvinced, Jane admits the truth. When Phil continuously messages a person called "K", Sharon suspects that Phil is having an affair with "K" who, unbeknownst to her and Ian, is Kathy. Sharon is reunited with Kathy; she reveals to Sharon that Phil has known that she has been alive for several years, so Sharon leaves Phil and moves into Ian's house. Phil goes missing and it is later revealed that Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas), Kathy's controlling husband, has taken him hostage, although Phil later returns. Sharon arrives home to find Gavin threatening to kill both Kathy and her stepson Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid); he greets her with the words "Hello, Princess" — Den's catchphrase, revealing that he is her biological father. She is disgusted when she discovers that Gavin gave Sharon to Den as a business trade. Sharon discovers that Phil has started drinking again and has become violent. When Bobby starts bullying Dennis (now Bleu Landau), Sharon tells Jane and Ian that she will go to the police about Bobby killing Lucy. Bobby and Dennis's feud leads to Dennis going missing; when Ian and Phil find him, a drunk and distracted Phil crashes the car, leaving Dennis severely injured. Ian takes the blame for the crash in exchange for Phil convincing Sharon not to go to the police. Gavin visits and supports Sharon in the hospital, and offers her a chance to live with him in Hong Kong when Dennis recovers, but Sharon declines. Sharon is stunned