It's been 25 years since popular EastEnders character Cindy Beale was 'killed off' but it has now been reported that actress Michelle Collins is returning to the BBC soap. In a new twist that was meant to be kept secret until being screened, Ian Beale will return to Albert Square after a two-year absence.
However, the character won't be alone, as Cindy is also expected to return in major soap news that has been leaked . The Mirror reports that while Ian was last on-screen briefly in December 2022, the character of Cindy has not been seen since the 1990s.
Michelle Collins played the role of Cindy from 1988 to 1998, with a two-year break between 1990 and 1992. She has also starred in Coronation Street as Stella Price. Cindy's character became a major villain in the series, as the unfaithful wife of Ian Beale. In memorable storylines of the past, Cindy tried to have her husband Ian killed by a hitman back when she was on the show in the 90s.
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Michelle Collins is reported to be reprising her role on the BBC soap despite revealing she had no plans to do so in the past. Her Wikipedia page has already been updated to state she will be portraying the popular role once again from 2023 onwards.
Full details of the return are yet to be confirmed but the scenes are expected to air later this year as it's thought filming has already started on their comeback scenes.
This won't be Ian's first experience of a character faking their death, as his own mother Kathy Beale returned from the dead in 2016.
None of Cindy's children are in Walford at the moment, with Cindy Jr and Peter both out of the show and her daughter Lucy was killed off in 2014, followed by her son Steven's death in 2017.
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