EastEnders' Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) is set to return to Walford next week with a new lease of life, and it has a lot to do with a hunky new lover she met on her honeymoon.
Last month, Cindy was left licking her wounds after her marriage to Max Branning (Jake Wood) abruptly ended when she discovered he had been cheating with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan-Levy). She was last seen jetting off to sunnier climes, deciding her and Max's post-wedding getaway should not go to waste just because he couldn't keep it in his trousers.
Cindy's new romance with Rafael
While away, Cindy met a young man called Rafael, who has put a smile on her face and a pep in her step. He accompanies her home next week, and it's clear she is loving showing off her new beau. She insists she has moved on from Max and is focused on the future, but her newfound confidence is soon dented when her card gets declined.
Although Rafael proves to be a handsome distraction, Cindy is soon back to her scheming ways as her feud with Max reignites. She goes to visit Max, who eventually agrees to help her out financially, but her suspicions are raised when she spots a lipstick at his flat and deduces he has a new woman on the scene – known to viewers as Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).
Cindy's scheming returns
As Cindy starts digging to find out the identity of Max's lover, she learns he is hoping to buy No. 31 from Suki Panesar-Unwin (Balvinder Sopal). Following another row, Cindy later gets her hands on Max's laptop and makes a shock discovery, which she uses to sabotage his chances of buying No. 31.
A furious Max declares war, but this only spurs Cindy on, who soon starts quizzing his son Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier). He accidentally says something that piques her suspicions, and when she also learns from Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) about the man who left Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) to die, Cindy becomes convinced Max is hiding something and makes it her mission to find out what.
Will this lead to the reckoning Max is set to face on New Year's Day? EastEnders airs these scenes from Monday 19th October at 7.30pm on BBC One or streams first from 6am on iPlayer.
