Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
You asked, they listened! Hollyoaks viewers are still celebrating after the exciting news that Stephanie Waring is making an explosive return as Cindy Cunningham.
In a true example of fan power, show bosses have listened to the audience by bringing back Stephanie's legendary character – nearly two years after Cindy was sadly written out as part of the show's cast cuts in 2024.
With lots to talk about, Stephanie recently caught up with us for her first exclusive chat about returning as Cindy – and we're breaking down the biggest revelations right here…
1. Cindy's return is coming soon
While the news of Cindy's return has only recently broken, Stephanie has been busy filming on the Hollyoaks set for the past eight weeks! With the usual turnaround between shooting and transmission, this means that we should see Cindy back on our screens very soon.
"It feels really wonderful to be back – I've just been walking on a cloud since I came back to filming," Stephanie tells us. "It's like coming home – that's the only way I can describe it."
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In fact, Stephanie was so pleased to be back that she was keen for some long working days – not every soap cast member tells us that!
"It's like coming to work to play dress-up – I just have this feeling where I don't want to go home," continues Steph. "I remember on my first day, our director Neil Wilkinson told me: 'We've still got a big wide shot to do at the end'.
"I was like: 'It's alright, Neil, I'll stay until the end of the day if you want! I'm here to work, don't send me home!'
"I've not stopped smiling since being back, that's the only way I can describe it. I didn't have any anxiety, either. There were no nerves about coming back."
2. The Cindy comeback talks had a personal touch
Soap bosses often fire off an email or sound out a star's agent when making comeback plans – but in Stephanie's case, she was asked in person when one of the Hollyoaks team reached out for a catch-up.
"The producers had been planning Cindy's return for a while," teases Steph. "But for me, I found out about a month before returning, so it wasn't long for me at all! It was a surprise but a very welcome one.
"It was very personal – I really appreciate this from the bottom of my heart. I just got taken out for lunch by Peter Hunt, who's head of casting at Hollyoaks. I just thought it was for a coffee and a catch-up!
"I think we were talking for about half an hour and then Peter said: 'So, speaking of Hollyoaks, would you like to come back?' I was just like: 'What?!'
"I couldn't really believe it, but my gut just said yes straight away. There was never any doubt in my mind. I would never turn down playing Cindy again. I got really emotional and I felt very overwhelmed."
3. Fans can expect a "bonkers" storyline
As you'd probably expect, the exact details of Cindy's return storyline are still being kept under wraps. But Stephanie has promised that it's very Hollyoaks – and fans wouldn't expect anything less!
"After the meeting with Peter, our executive producer Hannah Cheers rang me that evening," explains Steph. "So I heard the planned storyline quite early – it's bonkers by the way! I was like: 'Okay, this is Hollyoaks, I'm back!'"
4. Cindy will be back to her old ways
We've seen many different eras for Cindy's character – sometimes she's on top, sometimes she's at rock bottom – but fans who love her when she's at her camp best will be in for a treat.
"For me, I really want to do this as Cindy from 2008 or 2010, this uber fun bitch that we all love to hate!" confirms Steph.
"Cindy says what she thinks and she's unapologetic. I wanted it to be Cindy dialled up, and that's exactly what they've given me."
5. Cindy will have lots of scenes with Abigail
Stephanie recently enjoyed an evening out with Hollyoaks' newest cast member Brooke Vincent – and it turns out that this was a sneaky spoiler.
Brooke is joining the cast to play Abigail, who is Dee-Dee Hutchinson's drugs counsellor. But Abigail will have plenty of involvement with Cindy, too.
"I can tease that I will be back in Cindy's flat and I have a very fabulous, interesting flatmate! The actress in question is Brooke Vincent," confirms Steph.
"I'm really excited about that, because Brooke and I did Dancing on Ice together when it got brought back by ITV in 2018. I just love Brooke to bits and we get on really well.
"Our characters are just worlds apart. We bounce off each other really well."
6. And she'll have scenes with the Keanes too
Amid intense speculation around Cindy's storyline, we can confirm that Stephanie has indeed been filming some scenes with the new Keane family.
"I already knew Matt Wolfenden, who plays Jonah, and I get on really well with him," explains Steph. "It's been good to work with Rebecca Ryan, who plays Beth – I've had a few scenes with her and she's great.
"I've also enjoyed getting to know Tisha Merry, who plays Gemma. There's loads of new cast and I like the fresh energy – the new blood in the show."
And as for the elephant in the room – could Cindy be the mystery figure who's currently threatening Beth? "Maybe, maybe not!" replies Steph. "I've heard speculation but you'll have to wait and see.
"There are definitely some twists in my storyline. I don't just have one – I have several in the pipeline and I think they're really going to shock the audience."
7. It's a new era for Cindy
We'll see Cindy catch up with some old faces, but the focus of her storyline isn't on past relationships or familiar connections for now.
"It was lovely to be reunited with Ashley Taylor Dawson (Darren) and Nick Pickard (Tony)," says Steph.
"But the way my storyline is going, it's not really focusing on events from a past that people will know about. That's all I can tease for now!
"For me, this feels like it's not going over old ground. It feels like a new direction. Of course it would be nice to look at the past – and maybe collect the Cunninghams together again at some point down the road – but for now I'm really enjoying this new lane that Cindy is in..."
It was a real treat to speak to Steph, who clearly loves her job and all things soap. She was happy, rejuvenated and raring to go after her time away – and we reckon Cindy's return will go down a storm!
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
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