Janet Mitchell - Storylines

Storylines

Janet is born on 4 September 2006, the day of her parents' wedding. Billy and Honey had already agreed to name the baby Janet, after Honey's mother. Janet is diagnosed with Down's syndrome shortly after her birth. Honey has trouble coming to terms with Janet's condition, and when it is revealed that Janet needs a heart operation, Honey says it will be better for everyone if the baby dies. Honey then refuses to let the baby be named Janet, as she does not visualise "Janet"'s future that way. Billy has already started calling her "Petal" as a term of affection, so suggests that they name her that.

Petal is brought home from the hospital, and Honey finds it hard to cope, wanting to have her adopted. She considers smothering the baby with a pillow, but cannot do it. Honey runs away to her father, Jack's (Nicky Henson) canal boat in Kent. Billy tracks her down and takes "Petal" with him. He puts her by the canal, saying that people used to leave babies with Down's syndrome outdoors overnight, and if the baby survived, they'd keep it. Honey is shocked by Billy's actions and he picks her up and they go home. Despite her father's courage and love for her, her mother's fear of bringing up a child with Down's Syndrome wins out, and the pair put her up for adoption, giving her up to a foster family, Kim (Lorraine Arnold) and Tony Smith (Enzo Squillino Jr., just prior to Christmas. However, when "Petal" is taken into hospital for major surgery, Billy goes to see her, and when Honey reads Billy's letter to an adult "Petal", she follows, walking in on her Christening, and announcing her name — Janet. Doctors say she will be fine after surgery.

On Janet's first birthday, Peggy (Barbara Windsor), Ronnie (Samantha Womack) and Roxy (Rita Simons) throw a party, but it is crashed by Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) who is drunk and falls onto the cake. Janet became a big sister to William, who has a traumatic birth but pulls through. Unlike Janet, he does not have Down's syndrome. Janet leaves Walford with her mother and brother in September 2008 after her father lies to Honey about keeping half of Jase Dyer's (Stephen Lord) money when he was supposed to donate it to charity. It is revealed that they are living with Jack again. Janet returns a few times, once for a family photo, and again in January 2009, when Ronnie sacks Billy after he gets a last-minute phone call from Honey saying he can see the children. Ronnie changes her mind seeing Janet in her highchair, painting and looking cute and gives Billy his job back saying they are family. Janet appears again for Billy's 50th birthday, and the day before her own third birthday in September 2009. In December 2009, Honey tells Billy she is taking the children to her father's for Christmas, but Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) calls Honey to tell her that Billy will have Archie's house all to himself, and she lets Billy have the children for two weeks until Boxing Day.

In May 2010, Billy is forced to look after Janet and William after Honey and Jack are involved in a car crash. He struggles to tell them that Jack has died and Honey is in a critical condition. Later that night, Billy finds Janet playing with the drugs that Billy had been attempting to sell before he found out about the crash, and with that, he sends her to Phil's. In July 2011, Janet and William meet their niece Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold).