After almost 25 years away, Michelle Collins' character Cindy Beale has made a comeback on EastEnders.
On Wednesday, a long time after it was claimed she had passed away in prison while giving birth, Collins' character made a comeback.
She was seen on a sun lounger sipping wine as the episode ended in typically dramatic fashion.
Producers later confirmed that Adam Woodyatt, another former favorite, would be reprising his role as her ex-husband Ian Beale.
Collins, 61, described his return as a "surreal" event. She told the Sun that while it is nerve-wracking, it is also very exciting.
In fact, she continued, "I believe that timing is everything in life.". And I believe I would have responded negatively if it had occurred five years earlier. ".
Woodyatt, who left Albert sq\. himself two and a half years ago, observed that the EastEnders set had been rebuilt since he had left and that, when he returned to work, it was "the weirdest thing for me.".
The best part, he said, "has been going back and seeing all the faces that I haven't seen.".
Following a contentious custody dispute over their children, Lucy and Peter, Cindy had been imprisoned before she was apparently killed off for hiring a hitman to kill Ian.
The Beales' return storyline was created by writer Chris Clenshaw, who claimed that the production staff had been debating it for more than a year.
"We began to investigate the story and, obviously, ensure that it was plausible in light of the question, 'She's dead, how could that work?' but. We failed to spot a body.
We checked to make sure it worked with our advisors and research, and when they said, "Yeah, this is in fact, what could and would happen," I thought we might be able to pull it off. ".
Cindy had numerous affairs throughout her tumultuous relationship with Ian and was notorious for her cunning and manipulative behavior during her previous runs on the show between 1988 and 1998.
She was identified as Rose Knight on Wednesday, long-lost wife of George Knight (Colin Salmon).
Collins said in a statement about her departure: "I've been asked repeatedly for over 25 years, 'Are you going back?' and now I can say I am!
It's an honor to be asked to play Cindy Beale again because I've never really left the character, and just like in the past, whenever Cindy leaves, drama usually follows.
At the most recent British Soap Awards, EastEnders took home the best soap prize, and Collins emphasized that the category provides "fantastic stories" to women her age.
"They are really matriarchal figures, and there aren't that many TV shows that can make women of a certain age the main characters and tell their stories," said the author. ".
The next episode of EastEnders will air on BBC One on Thursday at 19:30 BST.
