EASTENDERS bosses will screen one of the soap’s most explosive ever showdowns when Cindy Beale returns to Albert Square – and comes face to face with her mother-in-law Kathy.
Actress Michelle Collins, 61, who returned to the hit BBC One soap as Cindy last week after it was revealed she’d been living in witness protection for the last 25 years, has just started filming her Walford comeback.
EastEnders is set to air the most explosive showdown ever as Cindy Beale returns
She will arrive back in Albert Square later this summer having rekindled her relationship with Ian, despite hiring a hitman to have him killed back in 1998 – much to Kathy’s horror.
Their son Peter, played by Thomas Law, will also return alongside his reunited parents.
And the soap’s top boss Chris Clenshaw said that the moment she comes face to face with Kathy, played by Gillian Taylforth, 67, is “absolute dynamite.”
Chris said: “Cindy’s a little softer through everything that has gone on, after 25 years of living a different identity and living a lie to her other family – and what comes quite apparent later in the year when she returns to Walford is it doesn’t take long before we see flashes of the old Cindy Beale.
“And she still has it, there’s some absolute dynamite between Cindy and Kathy.
“It doesn’t take long and it’s still the same Cindy at the core, she’s just been on one hell of a journey since we last saw her.”
During last week’s episodes, which were filmed on location away from the soap’s Elstree studios, Cindy was revealed as Rose Knight – the absent wife of Queen Vic landlord George, played by Colin Salmon.
She is also mum to their daughters Gina, actress Francesca Henry, 28, and Anna played by Molly Rainford,22.
But it’s going to be her big return to Albert Square, her rekindled relationship with Ian, played by Adam Woodyatt, 54, and that showdown with Kathy that is set to leave viewers on the edge of their seats.
Speaking about her big return to Albert Square Michelle revealed that she has a lot of explaining to do to her daughters and George as well as Ian’s mum.
Although with Ian also believing that Kathy was dead for 15 years after she faked her own death in an insurance scam, fans can expect quite a bit of humour.
She said: “Cindy’s had a lot of tragedy in her life with the pressure of the witness protection, and we’re kind of laughing about it, but it really is dramatic.
“We have a few kind of flashbacks, or playing with time. She’s been through a lot this woman!
“There’s a lot of layers which is great as an actor, it’s what you want. I’m excited to see all these things play out, I’ve got to explain to my daughters why did I leave them, I’ve got to explain to his mum where she’s been… I’m exhausted even talking about it!
“I hope people won’t dismiss her straight away and will understand what this woman has been through, and that she’ll have some kind of redemption but also still have an edge to her.”
And Michelle is loving the drama of it all. She said: “Let’s face it she was never going to come back and pour cups of tea in the cafe – people wouldn’t want that.”
Cindy ‘died’ back in 1998 during childbirth after being banged up for trying to murder husband Ian as they fought a bitter custody battle over their kids.
While Kathy was supposedly killed in a car crash in South Africa two years later in 2000.
She returned in 2015 during the soap’s big 30th anniversary where it was revealed she’d actually faked her own death in an insurance scam.
EastEnders returns tomorrow night at 7.30pm on BBC One.
