EastEnders star Michelle Collins is back as iconic Cindy Beale!
She may not be back in Walford (yet!) but Cindy is back on our screens! Last night viewers discovered that George Knight’s mysterious wife Rose is actually former Albert Square resident Cindy Beale.
Cindy was lounging by a pool, sipping white wine and ignoring George’s call – and the viewers loved it!
It’s been 26 years since Mrs Beale was last in EastEnders – so who is her alter ego Michelle Collins? And what’s she been doing since she said goodbye to Walford?
Michelle Collins’ career
Michelle began her acting career on stage and in music videos, then landed a few small roles in TV shows, including a BBC play called Pressures.
She impressed the BBC bigwigs in Pressure, so they asked to audition for the role of Cindy Williams in EastEnders. Initially Cindy was only supposed to appear in eleven episodes but Michelle was a big hit in the part, and Cindy Beale, as she became, grew to be one of the soap’s most notorious villains!
Moving on
Cindy – and Michelle – left EastEnders in 1998 and Michelle’s career went from strength to strength.
She played a holiday rep in Sunburn, a single mum on the search for a new life in A Thousand Acres of Sky, and the Jacqueline Wilson adaptation, The Illustrated Mum.
She’s been in Doctor Who, Sea Of Souls, and Casualty among many others, and has appeared on stage in the musical Daddy Cool, and other productions including Romeo And Juliet.
Michelle in Coronation Street
In 2011, Michelle joined Corrie as new Rovers landlady Stella Price. Stella was Leanne Battersby’s biological mum. She came with daughter Eva (played by Catherine Tyldesley) and mum Gloria (AKA Sue Johnstone).
Stella had all sorts of drama in her stint behind the bar at the Rovers, including a steamy affair with younger man Jason Grimshaw, and marrying Cobbles Killer Karl Munro!
After Corrie
Never one to stay still for long, Michelle landed many more roles after she left Coronation Street.
She appeared in Midsomer Murders and Death in Paradise, and she even took part in the reality series Bear Grylls: Mission Survive.
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Is Michelle Collins married?
In 1996, Michelle had a daughter called Mia with her long-term partner, Fabrizio Tassalini.
Though the pair split, they remained friends and raised Mia together, and Michelle was devastated when Fabrizio passed away in 2014.
In 2022, Michelle announced she was engaged to her partner of ten years, Mike Davidson and the pair tied the knot in August last year.
Read more: Complete EastEnders cast list for 2023 right here!
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One
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