June 21st 2023.
It took a bit of convincing, but Michelle Collins was finally convinced to return to EastEnders as Cindy Beale after being away from the show for over 20 years.
At first, she didn't think it would be possible to bring Cindy back, but when her agent suggested she meet with EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw, she decided to give it a shot.
"My agent said to me 'let's go and meet Chris', and I thought this is ridiculous - it's never going to happen," Michelle recalled. However, when they sat down and Chris explained the storyline to her, she was won over.
"We both went 'Wow. Oh my God.' It was incredible. And I thought actually maybe this could work," she said. Michelle was keen to ensure that Cindy wasn't just going to be the same person she was 25 years ago.
"I said to Chris, 'is she going to come back and be exactly the same as she was before?' and he was like, 'No. She's complex, of course she's complex. The backstory of where she was, who has she been, what has she been doing during these years. It’s kind of genius the way it’s all been put together," Michelle said.
The return of Ian Beale alongside Cindy was also important, and Michelle was pleased with the casting choices for the Beale family.
"He's just a great actor," she said of him. "Then I met the girls, which was important because we have a lot to do together and we haven't got time on set to do all those kinds of things."
The storyline has been a major talking point for EastEnders fans, and Michelle is thrilled with how it's all come together. "I'm kind of loving being back, actually. It kind of feels like I've gone full circle. It's exciting. It's kind of scary but, you know what, that's what life is about. Just embracing it and seeing what happens," she said.
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