Michelle Collins has warned that Cindy Beale will make Max Branning regret his actions when she discovers his duplicity. The actress, who plays Cindy in EastEnders, told Metro: 'Hell hath no fury like Cindy's scorn!'
Cindy is currently engaged to Max, played by Jake Wood, but is unaware that on the night he proposed, he slept with Priya Nandra-Hart, portrayed by Sophie Khan-Levy.
Cindy's fate sealed from the start
Collins reflected on how Cindy became involved with Max despite knowing his reputation. 'They met at the christening and she didn't know anything about Max Browning, but by then, I think, her fate had already been kind of sealed,' she said.
'She fell for him, hook, line and sinker, even though she didn't want to, because she knew, having heard all the rumours and what he was like, and he's a bit of a bad boy, she didn't want to get involved, but she couldn't help it because she felt hook, line and sinker, in love.'
Collins suggested Cindy believes she can change him. 'I think she does think she can change. Doesn't every woman want to change a man where they're married?' she said. 'She's hoping that she can change him. She really believes that he does love her.'
A couple with explosive chemistry
Despite the looming showdown, Collins described Max and Cindy as a compelling pair. 'Everyone loves Max and Cindy together. Everyone says they have a great chemistry,' she said.
'They're a bit 'will they, won't they?', the War of the Roses, the kind of Angie and Den. It's called moonlighting. One minute they're in love, the next minute they hate each other. People kind of love that, don't they?'
Collins attributed their attraction to their shared flaws. 'They're both highly flawed characters, and they're both unpredictable, they do leave a trail of destruction around them, and they've both got kids,' she explained.
Revenge will be 'off the scale'
On the brutality of Cindy's revenge, Collins said: 'I think she would go very far [for revenge]. She would go all the way.' She added: 'She knows how to use a gun, she's used a gun before. That sounds terrible, doesn't it? I wouldn't put anything past Cindy.'
'As everybody knows, she's so unpredictable, she's flawed, she's a bit crazy, she's very driven, and she loves chaos and a drama. I would expect nothing less than Cindy to go for him big time.'
'You do not mess with Cindy. She loves hard, but she also will get revenge. Her revenge will be really hard as well.'
Collins enjoys portraying Cindy's multifaceted personality. 'She has so many kind of strands to her personality, and that's what makes her this unpredictable person,' she said. 'Cindy comes into a room and it's like, 'oh my God, what's gonna happen now?' And I really like that.'
