Michelle Collins is a soap icon for her role as EastEnders villainess Cindy Beale.
In a massive shock to EastEnders fans, Cindy Beale (played by Michelle Collins) returned to the BBC soap for the first time in 25 years.
It was reported she would be be coming back, but the details behind her return were kept under tight wraps – and now we know where she’s been all this time.
Viewers on Wednesday 21st June 2023 saw it confirm the fan theory that Cindy is actually Rose Knight, the wife of new Queen Vic landlord George Knight (Colin Salmon) and the mother of his daughters Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford).
But there’s plenty more drama on the way, especially as she’s been concealing her identity – and the fact she’s been alive – for the past quarter century.
It’s safe to say there’s a lot to catch up on – and now we can talk about exactly what happened to Cindy Beale. Read on for the low-down.
Who is Cindy Beale in EastEnders?
!["EastEnders]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/05/Michelle-Collins-df91d2b.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C0px%2C613px%2C408px&resize=613%2C408" "\"Michelle")
Cindy Beale, maiden name Williams, was the first wife of Ian Beale and the mother of his children Lucy Beale (most recently Hetti Bywater) and Peter Beale (most recently Dayle Hudson).
From a relationship with Ian’s step-brother Simon Wicks (Nick Berry), Cindy conceived her eldest child, Steven Beale (most recently Aaron Sidwell).
Cindy later entered into a relationship with a man named Nick Holland (Dominic Taylor) and conceived her youngest child who was named Cindy (most recently Mimi Keene) after her mother.
Through her children, Cindy is the grandmother of Cindy Jr.’s daughter Beth Williams, Peter’s son Louie Beale, and Steven’s daughter Abi Branning Jr.
How is Cindy Beale alive in EastEnders?
The million pound question: how is Cindy Beale still alive in EastEnders? Viewers were told she was killed in prison back in the 90s… but as TV fans know all too well: if you don’t see the body, don’t assume they’re really gone.
Well, all was answered in EastEnders’ Thursday 22nd June 2023 episode, where viewers picked up Cindy and Ian’s love story in France.
Accompanied by Peter and his son Louie, the pair were living the dream in France. Swimming in their own pool, a massive forest to explore, and a beautiful market nearby where Ian could flog his dodgy baguettes, things couldn’t look more idyllic.
But the real truth is that Cindy had to go into witness protection to escape her vengeful cellmate.
Cindy adopted the identity of “Rose”, and would be released from prison, but told to never go back to Walford – and forget the idea of seeing her kids again.
!["Adam]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/06/436757-82dabb8.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C349" "\"436757,EastEnders\"")
Rose went on to start a new life, falling in love with George Knight (Colin Salmon) and the pair would go on to wed and share two children together, Anna (Molly Rainford) and Gina (Francesca Henry).
Their marriage would eventually fall apart (for reasons that are still unclear at time of writing), and Rose would run away to France.
The exact date of her reunion with Ian hasn’t been established, but we know he found out Cindy was still alive in 2022 – and they were living together at the time of Dot’s funeral, when Ian made a mysterious call to his “love” (who turned out to be Cindy!).
As for what the future holds, we’re still waiting to find out when Cindy and Ian will return to EastEnders permanently. Until then, expect more drama as George reels from finding out the truth about his ex-wife…
Read More
- EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw promises Cindy Beale resurrection “answers”
- EastEnders’ Michelle Collins talks “surreal” return as Cindy Beale after 25 years
- EastEnders’ Adam Woodyatt breaks silence on Ian Beale return alongside Cindy
What happened to Cindy Beale in EastEnders?
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2015/02/EastEnders-Fowlers-Beales-1984-aebc76d.jpg?quality=90&crop=14px%2C165px%2C2849px%2C1898px&resize=620%2C413" "\"EastEnders")
Cindy Williams first appeared in EastEnders in 1986 as a market trader and a love interest for Ian’s step-brother, womanising barman Simon Wicks.
Despite an on-off romance with Simon, Cindy later entered into a relationship with his budding entrepreneur brother Ian and the pair later got engaged.
However, Cindy displayed her selfish streak and went on to have an illicit sexual encounter with Simon where she conceived her eldest child Steven.
After Simon refused to be with her, Cindy stayed with Ian and they got engaged and married before she gave birth to Steven.
Yet, when the truth of Steven’s true paternity was revealed, Ian grew erratic, suicidal and vengeful and tried to ruin Simon’s life, culminating in Simon, Cindy and Steven leaving Walford in late 1990 for a new life in Devon.
In 1992, Ian learned that Simon had abandoned Cindy and Steven and persuaded her to return to Walford with him and they reunited, going on to get engaged and marry, with Cindy giving birth to twins Lucy Beale and Peter Beale, while Ian raised Steven as his own son.
!["Michelle]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/05/EastEnders-Cindy-Beale-1998-f18e349.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C5px%2C613px%2C408px&resize=613%2C408" "\"EastEnders")
Despite their new family unit, Cindy grew more unhappy with married life and pursued multiple affairs, first with a lifeguard named Matt (Toby Walton) and then with Ian’s half-brother, the womaniser David Wicks (Michael French).
Ian, suspecting Cindy of an affair, hired a private investigator to prove it and he did. Afterwards, Ian swore to fight Cindy for custody of their children.
Amid Ian and Cindy’s bitter feud, David abandoned Cindy and she decided to take drastic action by hiring a hitman named John Valecue (Steve Weston) to kill Ian.
Despite attempting to call off the hit, Cindy was too late and Ian was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in front of her.
Ian survived but the police suspected that Cindy was responsible for the hit, causing her to flee the country with the help of David and friend Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson) in 1996.
However, when her allies failed to retrieve Lucy for her, a distraught Cindy was forced to flee the country with only Steven and Peter.
In 1997, Ian’s private investigator tracks Cindy down to Italy and Ian heads there with his step-father Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and his brother Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) to retrieve his sons. Once there, Ian duped Cindy into the idea of reconciliation so she could be reunited with Lucy. As Cindy played along with it, she began to grow suspicious and called the police.
However, Cindy was too late as Phil and Grant abducted Steven and Peter and soon return to the UK with Ian, leaving Cindy alone.
Later in the year, Cindy returned to Walford with her boyfriend Nick Holland and fought Ian for custody of their children. Ultimately, Cindy won the custody battle but when she arrived to take the children away, she was arrested for conspiracy to murder after hitman Valecue – then in prison – was persuaded to give information on Cindy’s hit on Ian.
In the aftermath, Ian won custody of the children and Cindy was charged and held on remand while pregnant with Nick’s daughter.
Realising that Cindy did try to have Ian killed, Nick abandoned her and their unborn child to Cindy’s fate in prison.
In November 1998, Pat Butcher (Pam St. Clement) informed Ian that Cindy went into labour and gave birth to a daughter but died from the resulting complications.
Ian later attended Cindy’s funeral and met her baby daughter who he named Cindy in memory of her. The child later went to live with Cindy’s childless sister, Gina Williams (Nicola Cowper).
What has happened since Cindy Beale’s exit from EastEnders?
!["EastEnders]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2017/09/Kathy-Beale-GILLIAN-TAYLFORTH.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C4px%2C608px%2C405px&resize=608%2C405" "\"EastEnders")
In the years since Cindy’s apparent death, Ian went on to marry multiple times, first to Melanie Healy (Tamzin Outhwaite), then to Laura Dunn (Hannah Waterman) with whom he had a son named Bobby Beale (now Clay Milner Russell), then twice to Jane Collins (Laurie Brett), and then most recently to his longtime friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) from whom he later pursued an annulment.
Cindy’s eldest son Steven discovered his true paternity and left Walford to live with his father Simon in New Zealand in 2002.
In 2006, Ian was told his mother Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) had died in a car crash in South Africa alongside her husband Gavin, leaving him distraught.
In 2007, Ian was stalked and threatened by messages from “Cindy” apparently from beyond the grave, but an unhinged returning Steven was revealed to be the perpetrator.
In 2014, Cindy’s daughter Lucy was murdered by a head wound and her body was dumped on Walford Common. In 2015, the perpetrator was revealed to be her young half-brother Bobby Beale and it was covered up by his adopted mother Jane.
!["Hetti]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/05/EastEnders-Lucy-Beale-73b5775.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C0px%2C613px%2C408px&resize=613%2C408" "\"EastEnders")
Also in 2015, Ian’s mother Kathy was revealed to have faked her own death in South Africa due to the influence of her evil husband Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas). Kathy later returned to Walford and has remained at the centre of the Beale family ever since.
In 2015, after spending two years living in Walford with her half-siblings, Cindy Jr left for Germany with her boyfriend Liam Butcher (James Forde) after discovering the truth about Lucy’s death. Cindy Jr’s daughter Beth Williams resides with her biological father TJ Spraggan (George Sargeant) in Milton Keynes.
In 2016, Bobby confessed to killing Lucy and was sent to prison, to the upset of his parents.
In 2017, Cindy’s son Steven was killed as a result of injuries sustained in a confrontation with Max Branning (Jake Wood) during a fire at the Beales’ restaurant, later dying in hospital after learning he would be a father from his relationship with Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald).
!["Aaron]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/05/EastEnders-Steven-Beale-Aaron-Sidwell-2017-e940de1.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C4px%2C613px%2C408px&resize=613%2C408" "\"EastEnders")
Abi herself died the following year after falling from the roof of the Queen Vic pub but her unborn child was saved and was named Abi in her mother’s memory. After various spells in the custody of different guardians, Abi Jr. was later taken abroad by her maternal grandfather Max with whom she now resides.
In 2019, Bobby was released from prison for the murder of Lucy and was accepted back home by his conflicted father Ian, who had been left by his wife Jane in 2017 after she was blackmailed into leaving Walford.
In 2021, Ian fled Albert Square himself after he was almost killed by his wife Sharon and her ex-husband Phil in revenge for Ian accidentally causing the death of Sharon’s son Dennis (Bleu Landau) in a Thames boat disaster. Ian later arranged the annulment of his marriage to Sharon and left her the Queen Vic pub.
!["Adam]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/12/04-916ebbc.jpg?quality=90&crop=124px%2C0px%2C1621px%2C1080px&resize=620%2C413" "\"Adam")
Finally, in 2022, Peter Beale left Walford for the final time after falling out with the rest of the Beale family and later went to New Zealand to see his baby son Louie and former girlfriend Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).
Ian was seen secretly watching over the funeral of his good friend Dot Branning (June Brown) in December last year and made a mysterious call to someone he referred to as “love” and said he would be home soon before departing.
Read more:
- EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
- 5 EastEnders spoilers next week: Ben struggles to accept Lola’s prognosis
- EastEnders’ Harriet Thorpe on Elaine recast and “rebirthing” character
- Sam Mitchell to return to EastEnders ‘before the autumn’ after surprise exit
- EastEnders’ newcomer confirms arrival date of Knight family
- EastEnders’ Danielle Harold pays tribute to Lola’s story
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
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