EastEnders’ Cindy Beale returns 26 years after her dramatic death

She died in childbirth after plotting to kill her then-husband – or so EastEnders viewers were led to believe.

But 26 years after her dramatic death, Cindy Beale is alive and well and living a rather glamorous life in the sun.

The character, played by Michelle Collins, returns to the BBC soap and will reunite with her long-suffering ex-husband Ian Beale.

Cindy supposedly died while in prison for hiring a hit man to kill Ian, played by Adam Woodyatt.

But it seems she is leading a double life under the name ‘Rose Knight’.

Surprise: The character, played by Michelle Collins, is returning to the BBC soap and will reunite with her long-suffering ex-husband Ian Beale (pictured in 1997)

The identity of George Knight’s ex-wife, Queen Vic’s landlord, has been kept under wraps, but a teaser at the end of Wednesday’s episode showed Cindy taking George’s call as she sprawled on a sun lounger in France at the pool was.

George, played by Colin Salmon, could be seen pouring himself a cognac and playing Seal’s Kiss From A Rose on the pub’s jukebox before the scene cut to Cindy, confirming weeks of suspicion about Rose’s true identity.

George arrived in Walford earlier this month, after his new girlfriend Elaine Peacock invested money in her daughter Linda Carter’s pub.

Michelle, who also played Stella Price on Coronation Street from 2011 to 2014, said she initially found a comeback “ridiculous”.

“I think if it had happened five years ago I probably would have said no,” she told a news conference. “But it’s about timing and when Chris approached Adam and me and we were both on tour and he’d mentioned it to me, I said don’t be silly.

And then we had a meeting and I said to my agent, ‘oh this is ridiculous, it’s never going to happen’. And they said let’s just go and meet Chris [Clenshaw, producer]. And we had a breakfast meeting and he grabbed his laptop and rolled everything up.

And we both went ‘wow, oh my god’. And then I thought: maybe this could work.’

Cindy first arrived in Albert Square in 1988 and began a relationship with Ian after growing tired of bartender Simon Wicks, played by Nick Berry.

Return: Cindy leads a double life under the name ‘Rose Knight’

Drumroll: The identity of Queen Vic’s landlord George Knight’s ex-wife has been kept secret, but a teaser at the end of Wednesday’s episode showed Cindy taking George’s phone call

Sinister: In an epic two-night affair, viewers will finally learn the truth about George Knight’s past and the identity of his ex-wife Rose (Colin Salmon portrayed as Geroge)

Link: Fans noticed that in the latest trailer if the letter ‘E’ was taken from Rose and added to Thorn, the two words would spell ‘Ros Thorne’

Throwback: Ros appeared on the show between 1997-1998 as a private detective hired by Ian to track down his wife, after she fled the country (actress Clare Grogan portrayed as Ros)

Cover-up: Cindy supposedly died while in prison for hiring a hit man to kill Ian, played by Adam Woodyatt. But Seems She’s Leading a Double Life (1989)

She later married Ian after a brief fling with Simon saw her become pregnant with her son Steven. Simon eventually convinced her to tell Ian the truth and leave him.

The couple left Walford, but Cindy returned in 1992, reconnecting with Ian and welcoming twins Lucy and Peter, before having an affair with lifeguard Matt and later her ex-Simon’s half-brother, David.

After Ian threatened to take her to court to get custody of their children, she had him shot by an assassin before fleeing. He later hired a private investigator who tracked her down in Italy, where she lived with her new boyfriend Nick Holland. Upon returning to Walford, she was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder.

In 1998, Ian received news that she had died giving birth to her daughter with Nick.

Michelle said she was “incredibly nervous” when she returned to the soap, but said towards the end of a six-page scene with Woodyatt “it was like putting on an old pair of slippers”.

She added, “We’ve both mellowed and I think we’re both a little bit comfortable with our lives and it felt like it was the right time.”

The actress also praised British soap operas for offering “fantastic stories” for older women.

“There aren’t many programs on TV that focus on women of a certain age and show their stories,” she said. ‘And when you turn 60 as a woman, you’re not written off and you get to do these fantastic things.

“I think that’s why EastEnders is great because it’s not just about the youth. It’s only about people and very strong women.’ Cindy is not Ian’s first family to rise from the dead.

He was led to believe that his mother Cathy Beale had died in a car accident in South Africa, but she returned to Walford in 2015.

Other residents who have avoided the Grim Reaper include Dirty Den Watts who walked into the Queen Vic 14 years after falling into the canal when he was shot and Grant Mitchell who was seen in Rio de Janeiro with his daughter Courtney despite supposedly drowning.

EastEnders will broadcast the truth about George’s past on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday at 7.30pm.