The residents of Walford are in for quite a shock when they come face to face with the supposedly dead Cindy Beale.
A shocking new trailer aired at the end of Thursday’s EastEnders episode, giving eager fans a glimpse of Cindy’s (Michelle Collins) impending dramatic return.
In the rousing scenes, Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) looked completely stunned when Cindy entered the house, despite being supposedly dead.
The pair infamously despised each other after Cindy cheated on Kathy’s son Ian with David Wickes, and it was teased that the pair would face off again upon Cindy’s return.
Kathy shared her shock when Cindy made her grand entrance and said, “You’re dead!”
She is back! The residents of Walford are in for quite a shock when they come face to face with the supposedly deceased Cindy Beale
Dramatic return: EastEnders has released a new trailer that offers a glimpse of Cindy’s (Michelle Collins) dramatic return
Clearly no longer ‘dead’, Cindy is about to bring chaos to the BBC soap when she rejoins Albert Square after claiming she’s always wanted to visit.
In the 30-second trailer, Kathy warned everyone about her plans as her daughter-in-law makes her way through Walford.
She wasn’t the only one to warn the residents against her, as Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean) reminds Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) that Cindy has always been deceitful.
It’s unclear who Ian is trying to convince, but at one point he insisted, “It’s different this time!”
Cindy made a shocking return from the dead after 26 years last month when it was revealed she was living in France with ex-husband Ian Beale and son Peter.
It later transpired that Cindy had been living in witness protection for the past 25 years and was given the alias Rose Knight, and has yet to return to Walford.
In another twist, she was revealed to be the absent wife of Queen Vic’s landlord, George Knight (Colin Salmon), and mother of their two daughters Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford).
Elsewhere in the rousing trailer, George was seen looking at a photo of “Rose” – the name Cindy used when she dated him.
‘You are dead!’ In suspenseful scenes, mother-in-law Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) looks utterly bewildered when Cindy enters the house
Wow: Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean) reminds Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) that Cindy has always been deceitful. It’s unclear who Ian is trying to convince, but he insists, “It’s different this time!”
In the trailer, Anna and Gina walk around the market giggling, completely oblivious to the fact that after all this time they come face to face with their mother.
The first scenes of Cindy’s explosive return will air late next week, on August 28, after she decided to follow son Peter (Thomas Law) from France to England.
Cindy will have some explaining to do as she returns at the end of the month for a week of episodes that will cover the storyline.
The comeback will provide more drama, which will then start in the fall.
Kathy was also brought back from the dead in 2015 after a car accident in South Africa.
Speaking of her return, 61-year-old Michelle recently said: ‘Cindy has had a lot of tragedies in her life with the pressure of witness protection, and we kind of laugh about it, but it’s really dramatic.
“We have some kind of flashbacks, or play with time. She’s been through a lot this woman. There’s a lot of layers, which is great as an actor, it’s what you want.
“I’m excited to see all these things happen, I have to explain to my daughters why I left them, I have to explain to his mother where she’s been… I’m exhausted even talking about it.”
Stunned: In the trailer, Anna and Gina (pictured) walk through the market, completely oblivious to the fact that after all this time they are about to come face to face with their mother (pictured with George)
Chaos: The first scenes of Cindy’s explosive return will air late next week after she decided to follow son Peter (Thomas Law) from France to England
“I hope that people will not immediately reject her and understand what this woman has been through, and that she will have some kind of redemption, but also still have an edge.”
Michelle admitted she loved all the drama, saying, “Let’s face it, she’d never come back to pour cups of tea in the cafe — people wouldn’t want that.”
Cindy “died” in childbirth in 1998 after being carted off to prison for the attempted murder of her hapless husband Ian.
EastEnders returns on BBC One tomorrow night at 7.30pm.