EastEnders star Michelle Collins has promised some dramatic scenes in her character Cindy Beale’s reunion with ex-lover David Wicks.
David, played by Michael French, returns to Walford following the reappearance of his daughter Bianca Jackson and doesn’t fail to ruffle some
feathers when he meets Cindy.
“Cindy is completely thrown when she sees David for the first time – she’s really, really shocked,” Collins confirmed.
“It knocks her off kilter because this is totally out of the blue, and she hasn’t seen him since 1996!”
Cindy and David had an affair during her marriage to his half-brother Ian. After planning on leaving Walford together with the twins, Cindy felt abandoned when David left her.
“David completely changed his mind and backed out. He was a coward! Cindy felt totally and utterly let down by him and hated him for what he did,” Collins said. “David was one of the few people that Cindy was truly in love with, and he really hurt her.”
Cindy will confide in ex-husband George Knight who will encourage her to “face her demons”.
“He reminds her that she’s a strong, courageous woman and she shouldn’t hide away from David,” Collins said. “George points out that Cindy deserves an explanation from David and that she should go and face him and ask him what he’s doing here.”
Fans of the soap are in for an intense confrontation when Cindy finally approaches David.
“[He] thinks he’s seen a ghost! He’s as shocked as she is to see her. They both kind of look at each other and go, ‘OMG!’,” Collins explained. “It has been 27 years since they’ve seen each other, and Cindy is the last person that David expected to see in the Square. But he does have a bit of a smile on his face when the shock wears off…”
It seems that David may just cause more trouble for Cindy and Ian. The couple have been distant for a while now, with Cindy also having an affair with George’s son Junior.
“Cindy does want to settle down and stop this madness that’s going on in her life, and she feels that if she settles down with Ian, she might have the security she’s always longed for,” Collins said.
“Ian is like a security blanket for her, but who knows how long that’s going to last because Cindy loves danger and adventure, all the things that David Wicks brings.”
Speaking about his return as David, French has teased a short stint and “a lot of drama”.
“I feel honoured to be asked to reprise the role of David Wicks once again,” he said. “It may only be a brief visit, but we know from his past that David never fails to create a lot of drama in a very short time
