List of East Enders Characters (1992) - Lilian Kominski

Lilian Kominski, played by Anna Korwin, is the mother of Rachel Kominski (Jacquetta May). She comes to stay with Rachel unexpectedly following a row with her husband, Joseph, and she refuses to return home until her husband begs her to. Lilian is an interfering, judgemental and critical person, who constantly upsets and embarrasses Rachel in front of her friends. She jibes Rachel for not dressing attractively or having a husband; criticises her lifestyle; meddles in her blossoming relationship with Richard Cole (Ian Reddington); frowns upon Rachel's lodger, Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully), for having an interracial relationship with Clyde Tavernier (Steven Woodcock); and tells anyone who cares to listen about how badly Rachel treats her and how much she has sacrificed for her. Rachel finds her presence highly stressful, but whenever she confronts her mother, Lilian gets upset, so Rachel is forced to backtrack in order to spare her feelings.

Lilian begins dropping hints about Rachel's past in passing conversations to her friends, indicating that she had always been forced to clear up Rachel's many mistakes. She depicts Rachel as a troubled and depressed child, and seems keen to divulge the reasons why. Rachel is furious when Michelle tells her that Lilian has been dropping hints about her secret past. She confronts her mother and it transpires that Rachel had fallen pregnant at 14, and Lilian had forced her to have an abortion, which left her depressed for a long while after. Rachel tells her mother that she resents her for forcing her into an abortion. This upsets Lilian and she tells Rachel that it broke her heart to lose her first and perhaps only grandchild, but there was no other option. Rachel fears that Lilian will divulge her secret if she stays in Walford, so she orders her mother to go back to her father. Lilian leaves the following day after making peace with Rachel.