Cindy has been living in France with Ian (Picture: BBC)
When Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) makes her much-anticipated return to Albert Square in upcoming EastEnders episodes, there’s going to be a massive amount for her to take in.
The character was supposed to have died 25 years ago, but in a recent twist we discovered that she’s alive and well and has been living in France with Ian (Adam Woodyatt) and son Peter (Thomas Law). She was living under witness protection under the name of Rose Knight, and as Rose she was the mother of George Knight (Colin Salmon)’s two daughters, Anna (Molly Rainford) and Gina (Francesca Henry).
Yes, it’s complicated. But imagine having to turn up in Albert Square and coming face to face with your past, both as part of the Beale family and as part of the Knights.
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‘She’s been away for 25 years,’ Michelle Collins reminded us. ‘To go through, if we look at it properly and be serious about it, things that have happened in her life. She went under witness protection. She had to have a new life and be a completely different person. I’m amazed that she’s still going after everything she’s been through in her life, that she has this amazing resilience and this strength of character.’
Michelle described Cindy’s reactions to all this. ’She might be back, but she’s got a lot of things to sort out, put it that way. She goes through a real roller coaster of emotions, the whole thing. Suddenly she’s discovering family here that she didn’t know. She didn’t know George was here, she didn’t know the girls were here. That’s a real shocker. Suddenly all these things just happen, something else then something else. It really is a whole rollercoaster of emotions.’
Bobby spent time behind bars for Lucy’s murder, but was then released and vowed to change for the better (Picture: BBC)
One thing which is likely to loom large for Cindy is coming face to face with Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) – the person who killed her daughter Lucy, lest we forget. In 2015 Bobby was revealed as his sister’s killer after an epic storyline that ran for almost a year, and spent time in a young offenders’ unit as a result.
How will Cindy react? Michelle says it’s going to be an interesting dynamic to play out.
‘It’s difficult, that relationship, of course,’ she reflected. ‘He did something and he paid for it. He went to prison and he’s out, and that’s hard for Cindy to understand that. But again, these are the things we’re addressing and working through.’
As intense as these scenes are going to be to watch, Michelle loved filming them because she gets on so well with the actors playing her family members.
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‘I’m so lucky with my family, because I’ve got Peter who’s played by Tom and Bobby who’s played by Clay, who are just brilliant,’ she enthused. ‘I love those two boys. I’m so lucky, I’ve got the most brilliant family and the most brilliant actors around to work with.
‘I have had some great scenes with Clay. I love working with those two. They’re brilliant, they’re like a double act.’
We’d be here for this!