EastEnders star Michelle Collins 'really happy' older women are being 'embraced' on screen
'EastEnders' legend Michelle Collins is delighted that people are "embracing older women on screen", and she thinks it was important that the BBC One soap's bosses gave her alter ego a big storyline when she returned in 2023.
Michelle Collins is "really happy" that people are "embracing older women on screen".
The 62-year-old actress is best known for playing the "multifaceted figure" Cindy Beale in the hit BBC One soap, 'EastEnders', and she believes it was "really important" for the programme's bosses to give her a huge comeback storyline in 2023 - in which viewers discovered her alter ego faked her death, placed into witness protection and given a new identity, Rose Sawyer.
Michelle - who is also set to perform her first one-woman show 'Motorhome Marilyn' at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August - told Roger Johnson on 'BBC Breakfast' on Monday (05.05.25): "I'm just really happy that we are embracing older women on screen.
"I think that's really important, and giving them big stories, which is what 'EastEnders' did when Cindy came back, and I think that's really important, and for the Edinburgh Fringe to be - you know, it's quite scary doing a one-woman show at my age and, also, why not?
"Why can't we be ambitious at my age as well and be scared and out of our comfort zone?"
Cindy Beale makes a return to Walford on May 5 - the fictional borough of East London where the soap is set - following an explosive 40th anniversary week in which she found out who hit her with a snow shovel and left her for dead on Christmas Day.
Michelle's character is set to turn up uninvited to a christening held by Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) and Peter Beale's (Thomas Law).
Speaking about her return, Michelle said: "She turns up uninvited at Lauren and Peter's christening and, as you can imagine - you know, typical Cindy just thinks, 'Oh, it'll be fine,' and she's not very welcome.'
"But she's, kind of, been named as 'The Queen of Chaos', I think, and loves the drama in her life. But she's a multifaceted figure, she's a strong woman."
Asked by Roger if Michelle still loves Cindy Beale, the former 'Coronation Street' star admitted: "I kind of do, and you can't always love the characters you play. You can't apologise for those.
"I think she actually is an unapologetic character and not frightened to speak her truth. Her truth may not always be what other people like about her, but I think people, kind of, love to possibly hate her.
"Listen, nobody's perfect.
"Every woman has their flaws."
