EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders star Michelle Collins has explained why Cindy Beale returns to Walford.
Cindy left Albert Square earlier this year following the various revelations over the soap's 40th anniversary week, which saw the character discover that mother-in-law Kathy was the one who attacked her over the festive period.
Naturally, the schemer wasn't gone for too long, with Cindy due to return to East London next week.
"Cindy comes back wanting to make amends, and wanting to get back with her family, but I think what she doesn’t realise is that people have not forgotten and they’re not going to forgive her that easily," said the actor.
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"Cindy comes back and thinks that everyone is going to have open arms and welcome her back, but she gets a very frosty reception. [She thinks they'll] go ‘oh everything is forgiven’ and actually, it doesn’t go the way. She’s quite deluded, isn’t she?," added the star, who first played Cindy in 1988.
Cindy's departure was hastened by the devastating explosion at The Vic, which occurred after Cindy pushed husband Ian in front of the onrushing Reiss Colwell. Initially oblivious to the subsequent destruction, Cindy is said to be partly remorseful upon her return.
"Cindy hasn’t been around, so she hasn’t seen how upset everybody is and the impact and devastation that it’s caused in the Square, but I think she is remorseful," said Collins.
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"Cindy pushing Ian was a catalyst for the events that followed but you could say the same about Ian as, if he hadn’t reacted in the way that he did, Cindy might not have retaliated and the explosion wouldn’t have happened. So, in a sense, I think she feels that he is just as much to blame as she is."
Despite returning to Walford and aiming to make amends with her family, Cindy is repeatedly told to leave them at peace after the various instances of manipulation. Despite multiple setbacks, Collins explained that her character is dedicated to a fault.
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"The people she cares about passionately more than anybody are her kids, and Peter in particular. She has unconditional love for her kids. Granted, she may not be the perfect mum, but she is still their mum and she has fought for her kids a lot over the years," said Collins.
After repeatedly being shunned, the character takes matters into her own hands as she tells her family about Kathy's attack, with the revelation throwing a spanner into the words in an already dysfunctional family.
"What Kathy did was pretty bad. She did try to kill her, let’s not forget," said Collins. "Also, nobody is really perfect in this Square. Someone has either been to prison, is hiding a secret, or they’ve done something they shouldn’t. I don’t think anyone is innocent."
Despite the palpable tension amongst the family, each member has to throw any animosity aside as Lauren Branning suddenly goes into labour, with Cindy taking the lead in the situation despite their past troubles.
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"Cindy is good in a crisis, and she does what she has to do to get Lauren to the hospital," said the actor. "Although she has openly admitted that she’s never really liked Lauren, I think she does try with her."
Collins, who returned to the BBC soap in 2023 after a 25 year absence, concluded by teasing that Cindy "wouldn't go down without a fight" over the next few weeks – what sort of drama can we expect?...
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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