EastEnders fans have been left stunned by reports that legendary character Cindy Beale is set to return from the dead – but they’ve also pointed out one big flaw with the rumoured plans.
Over the weekend, The Sun published a story claiming that Cindy is set to make a comeback to Walford, alongside on-screen ex-husband Ian Beale, despite the character dying off-screen during childbirth in 1999.
The tabloid also claimed that the couple – played by Michelle Collins and Adam Woodyatt – have reunited off-screen in the South of France, and will shock Albert Square residents when they return together later this year.
However, the stunt plot has split viewers, as Cindy’s resurrection means that Ian now has not one but two family members who have returned from the grave.
His mother Kathy made a comeback to the show in 2015, having previously been killed in an off-screen car crash in South Africa in 2006.
Reusing the storyline idea within the same soap family had viewers’ believability stretched, no matter how excited they are to see Cindy again...
Soap veteran Adam Woodyatt has been away from EastEnders since January 2021 following Sharon Watts’ attempt to kill his character, Ian, after finding out he had inadvertently caused the death of her son, Denny.
Adam made a brief cameo appearance in December 2022 for the funeral of Dot Branning, where he was seen receiving a mysterious phone call from someone he called “love”.
Naturally, it is now likely he was speaking to Cindy, who was previously married to Ian between 1989 and 1997.
The characters’ marriage was pretty eventful, during which time Cindy had an affair with David Wicks, hired a hitman to kill Ian and also ran off with two of their children.
After she went to prison for conspiracy to murder, it was later revealed Cindy had died while giving birth to a daughter, Cindy Jr, whose father was Nick Holland.
Cindy Jr later arrived on Albert Square in 2013, played by Sex Education star Mimi Keene, and is now living off-screen in Germany with her own daughter.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.