Cindy Beale

Cindy Beale
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Michelle Collins
Duration	1988–1990, 1992–1998, 2023–present
First appearance	Episode 340 10 May 1988 (1988-05-10)
Classification	Present; regular
Introduced by	Julia Smith (1988) Leonard Lewis (1992) Jane Harris (1997) Chris Clenshaw (2023)
Spin-off appearances	The Ghosts of Ian Beale (2014)
In-universe information Other names Cindy Williams Rose Sawyer Rose Knight[1] Occupation Businesswoman Barmaid Family Beale Father Tom Williams Mother Bev Williams Sisters Gina Williams Husband Ian Beale (1989–1997) George Knight (1999–2014) Sons Steven Beale Peter Beale Daughters Lucy Beale Cindy Williams Gina Knight Anna Knight Stepsons Junior Knight Grandsons Louie Beale Granddaughters Abi Branning Beth Williams Aunts Pam

Cindy Beale (also Williams) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michelle Collins. She first appeared 10 May 1988 and originally departed on 27 December 1990, before returning as one of the show's central antagonists from 13 October 1992 until her exit episode on 10 April 1998; the character supposedly died off-screen during childbirth in prison on 5 November 1998. During her first stint on the show, Cindy embarked on a prolonged relationship with her would-be husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Their marriage soon deteriorated, however, due to Cindy's selfish streak that shows the character becoming unfaithful to Ian and growing more concerned about her own needs than their own children. She lies and schemes to ensure that she gets what she wants.

It was reported on 19 May 2023 that Collins would be making a shock return to the show after 25 years away, thus "resurrecting" the character from the dead. She returned on 21 June 2023 for two episodes where it is revealed that Cindy never died but was placed under a witness protection programme after informing on her cellmate. She had relocated to Spain under the assumed name of Rose Sawyer, then she married George Knight (Colin Salmon) and gave birth to two more daughters, Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna Knight (Molly Rainford), before disappearing from their lives without explanation after inadvertently compromising the witness protection programme. She returned full-time on 22 August 2023. The decision to reintroduce Cindy was praised by fans and critics alike.

Since her return, her storylines have included bonding with her children, feuding with Ian's mother Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), confronting Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) over Lucy Beale's death, setting up "Beale's Eels" with Ian and Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), attempting to reconcile with George, having an affair with George's son Junior Knight (Micah Balfour) after George rejects her, threatening George's brother Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho) and Lauren Branning (Jaqueline Jossa) when they nearly expose the affair, and being the victim of an attempted murder on Christmas Day 2024 after Lauren exposes the affair.