EastEnders star Michelle Collins is “quite excited to find out what happens” with her character Cindy Beale, who is teed up to face “heartbreak” over Max Branning (Jake Wood).
The 64-year-old made her debut as Cindy Beale in 1988 and was famously killed off-screen in prison 10 years later, but returned to the BBC soap in 2023 after the reveal she was actually alive and in witness protection.
Cindy's chaotic return
Her character has since caused chaos in Albert Square, embarking on romances with Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), George Knight (Colin Salmon) and his son Junior Knight (Micah Balfour).
Viewers have recently seen her preparing to tie the knot with notorious womaniser Max Branning, unaware of his secret affair with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) – who is now pregnant.
Collins warns Max
In an interview with the Press Association (PA), Collins warned Max to “be careful” as she discussed the drama yet to come.
“Cindy does quite like a bad boy, I think,” the actress said. “I think she thinks she can tame him. She wants security and she wants stability in her life. She does want to settle down, but she also is chaotic and loves the drama. She thinks he’s the love of her life – she keeps telling everyone this is it.”
Collins said she thinks Cindy is “blindsided” and “can’t see” the warning signs in her relationship with Max, adding: “She doesn’t want to doubt it because this is her dream wedding.”
“Cindy is so confident in herself because who would think that a man would stray before you’re even married? Why wouldn’t he have the guts to say anything?”
Wedding drama ahead
The couple started their whirlwind romance on Christmas Day 2025 and several months later Max popped the question, with their wedding originally scheduled for New Year’s Day, coinciding with a flashforward episode which aired in January.
Max continued his affair with Priya, while Cindy has been swept up in the planning and the couple brought the date forward to next month, on the same date Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) ties the knot with Howie Danes (Delroy Atkinson).
Reflecting on how her character will react to Max’s infidelity, Collins told PA: “Maybe she has rushed into things, but I know she will be absolutely heartbroken because I think she thinks she really loves him. I think she really feels he loves her, and I think there’s a part of him that does kind of love her, but maybe he loves himself a little bit more.”
“It’s tragic that she’s finally going to be the one that is going to be cheated on, because she’s normally the one that is cheating,” Collins added, referring to Cindy’s many affairs throughout her decades on the show.
The actress continued: “Obviously at some point she’s going to find out. Cindy is a survivor. Whatever happens, she will get through it, but she will make that person suffer big time. He will not get away with it – Max Branning, be careful.”
Collins hopes “people will be vying for Cindy in all this”, and added: “I think it’s going to be interesting to see how it all pans out.”
Flashforward episode
The TV star also called the events shown in this year’s flashforward episode “exciting”, and said: “I can’t give anything away, and part of the fact is because I don’t really know. I am quite excited to find out what happens.”
The episode, which is set on New Year’s Day 2027, has kept viewers guessing about how the events running up to it will unfold over the next year. It centres on Max Branning’s fifth wedding, with several characters hinted at as his potential bride, including Cindy Beale, Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).
EastEnders is available on BBC iPlayer.
