As EastEnders stalwart Cindy Beale is on the warpath once more, we take a look Michelle Collins’ life away from Walford
Michelle Collins is a firm favourite on EastEnders – but away from Albert Square, what do we know about her life?
In 1998, crafty Cindy arrived in Albert Square and stayed for 10 years. Her dramatic exit came when she was arrested by police for conspiracy to murder her ex-husband, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), after she hired a hitman to shoot him.
She is also the mum to Steven, who died in 2017, and twins Peter (Thomas Law) and Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater), with the latter being murdered by Bobby Beale (Eliot Carrington) during a dramatic whodunit back in 2014.
For years, soap fans were led to believe that Cindy was dead after Ian was informed that she had died during childbirth. However, in a jaw-dropping twist, she staged a comeback in 2023 and confessed she had been living in Spain.
A flashback revealed that Cindy was in witness protection, living under the name Rose Knight. She was also revealed to have been married to George Knight (Colin Salmon), and the pair had two daughters, Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford).
After a string of seriously failed relationships, Cindy thought she had found love with local love rat, Max Branning (Jake Wood). However, their recent wedding ended in heartbreak after his affair with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) was exposed.
On Tuesday (September 22), Cindy discovered Priya was pregnant with Max’s baby and demanded that her love rival leave Walford for good. The blackmail scheme has now sparked a feud with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).
On Wednesday (September 23), Cindy was on the warpath once more as she faced Ravi, who was furious after following Priya’s abrupt departure.
Tensions were also rising between Lauren Beale (Jacqueline Jossa) and her husband Peter (Thomas Law), who was annoyed that she hadn’t disclosed her dad Max’s affair before he married his mum, Cindy.
The two were still at loggerheads by the time they arrived at Harvey Monroe’s (Ross Boatman’s) birthday party, and son Louie (Jake McNally) had overheard everything. Before long, the youngster divulged Lauren’s secret to his grandmother, Cindy, who then caused a huge, public scene.
The birthday cake was planted in Lauren’s face, and in retaliation, she slapped her mother-in-law. Cindy then warned Ravi to stay away from her.
Who plays Cindy in EastEnders?
Away from the bright lights of Walford, Michelle Collins leads a much quieter family life in comparison to her Albert Square alter ego. The actress was born on May 28, 1962, in Hackney, East London, making her 64 years old.
Michelle began dating her now-husband, Mike Davidson, in 2012 after her niece, who reportedly worked for Mike at a retail store, set them up, reports The Express.
The actress and Mike, who is 22 years younger than her, announced their engagement in April 2022, 10 years after meeting. They got married in August 2022 at Islington Town Hall.
Speaking on Kaye Adams’ podcast How to be 60, the soap star explained how she thought she would never get married. She said: “I’ve been engaged a few times, but I never thought I would ever get married and actually he also said he would never get married. I said ‘So why did you suddenly decide? Why did you ask me?’ I was intrigued.
“He said ‘because with your mum gone, I knew how much she meant to you and I felt I wanted to make you feel safe and look after you’. It’s such a beautiful, lovely thing to say. And I suppose I do feel safe.”
The star also discussed her struggle to find love, revealing on the podcast: “I just seem to be one of these people who it’s taken me a long time to find myself. I was maybe looking in the wrong places, looking for the wrong people.”
In 1996, Michelle welcomed her daughter, Maia Rose, into the world, whom she shares with her ex-partner Fabrizio Tassalini. Fabrizio sadly died on October 31, 2014, after losing his battle with liver cancer at his home in Melbourne, Australia.
What else has Michelle Collins starred in?
During her time away from EastEnders, Michelle continued to act, landing roles in Doctor Who, Hotel Babylon, Midsomer Murders, Death in Paradise, Casualty, and many more.
But in 2011, she arrived in Weatherfield as Stella Price. She first appeared on Coronation Street as the new landlady of the Rovers Return and the mother of Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley), and immediately stirred up trouble.
Stella was involved in a number of high-profile storylines, including a romance with younger man Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) and the revelation that she was Leanne Battersby’s (Jane Danson) biological mum.
Stella’s ex-husband, Karl Munro (John Michie), also burnt down the pub, a tragedy which actually claimed the life of Sunita Alahan (Shobna Gulati). Michelle departed from the soap in 2014, just three years after taking on the role, despite being popular with fans.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
