Cindy Beale

Cindy Beale (also Williams) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Michelle Collins. She first appeared 10 May 1988 and originally departed on 27 December 1990, before returning for a second stint from 13 October 1992 until her exit on 10 April 1998. The character supposedly died off-screen on 5 November 1998. However, in 2023 the character was "resurrected" with Collins returning after 25 years on 21 June 2023 ahead of a permanent return on 22 August. During her first stint on the show, Cindy embarked on a prolonged relationship with her would-be husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Their marriage soon deteriorated, however, due to Cindy's selfish streak that shows the character becoming unfaithful to Ian and growing more concerned about her own needs than their own children. It is later revealed that Cindy never died but was placed under a witness protection programme after informing on her cellmate. She had relocated to Spain under the assumed name of Rose Sawyer, then married George Knight (Colin Salmon) and gave birth to two more daughters, Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna Knight (Molly Rainford), before disappearing from their lives without explanation after inadvertently compromising the witness protection programme. The decision to reintroduce Cindy was praised by fans and critics alike. Since her return, her storylines have included: bonding with her children; feuding with Ian's mother Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth); confronting Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) over Lucy Beale's (Hetti Bywater) murder, which he was responsible for; setting up "Beale's Eels" with Ian and Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo); attempting to reconcile with George, having an affair with George's son Junior Knight (Micah Balfour) after George rejects her; threatening George's brother Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho) and Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) when they nearly expose the affair; being left...