CINDY Beale is set to PUNCH ex-husband Ian in upcoming explosive EastEnders scenes.
The legendary pair had been set to tie the knot again – until Cindy’s (Michelle Collins) months-long affair with Junior Knight was revealed.
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Tensions are set to rise at Beales Eels as accusations fly between the warring exes.
Cindy delivers a right hook to Ian (Adam Woodyatt), giving him a bloodied nose in the process.
Unlikely ally Priya (Sophie Khan Levy), meanwhile, is on hand to help Ian in the aftermath.
It comes as Cindy is currently at the centre of a huge mystery in the BBC soap.
During the Christmas Day special, an anonymous assailant hit her over the head with a shovel.
With a whole list of suspects emerging, viewers have since wondered who is responsible.
Considering how Cindy betrayed him, Ian is one of the possible culprits – but did he do it?
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw previously teased when the tantalising answer would be revealed.
He said: “Our 40th anniversary storylines have been in the works for some time, but even at the very start of planning, we knew that we wanted to reveal the identity of Cindy’s attacker as part of this.
“Many characters currently find themselves in the line of question, but over the coming weeks, the audience can look out for clues themselves to who may be the culprit.
“Cindy’s attacker reveal is just one of many stories we have planned for the anniversary as it is set to be a week of explosive drama for the audience to remember.”
EastEnders’ Cindy Beale finally works out who attacked her at Christmas – and it’s an old foe
It comes as viewers shared their theories about mystery new character Amelia – and how she could relate to Cindy’s attack.
The newcomer bumped into a depressed and angry Phil (Steve McFadden) outside The Vic as she was on the phone.
Amelia promptly invited him for a drink and handed him her business card.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan claimed: “What if Amelia is a Ford and was the one who attacked Cindy?”
A second person stated: “Amelia is a slippery fish”.
Who attacked Cindy Beale: The suspects
Cindy Beale was dramatically attacked at the end of the highly-anticipated Christmas Day special.
But there is question on the lips of every fan, who exactly was behind it?
Elaine Knight (Harriet Thorpe): She blackmailed Cindy to get out of Walford before kicking her husband George out following his surprise reaction to the public revelation about the affair. Cindy also called her ‘withered’ in her long rant.
George Knight (Colin Salmon): He claimed he was not interested in reigniting things with his ex-wife. But he was left enraged by his son’s behaviour, leaving his relationship with Elaine in ruins.
Junior Knight (Micah Balfour): He was caught suspiciously lurking in the shadows by Denise in the aftermath of the attack. He was hurt by Cindy because she claimed their affair only happened because he reminded her of his father George.
Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt): After finding out about the affair, hew kicked Cindy out in anger. He then trashed his living room, he stormed out the house and appeared to be unreachable at the time of the attack and in the aftermath.
Kojo Asare (Oludayo Koleosho): After finding out about Cindy’s affair, she put him into a coma when she pushed him off a raised platform. Could he want revenge?
Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth): She was the one to find Cindy on the pavement in the Square gardens after she was attacked with the snow shovel. Kathy always remained suspicious of Cindy because of her past and was devastated at the destruction of her family.
Anna Knight (Molly Rainford): Was seen looking out of the upstairs window with a birds eye view of the square at the time Cindy went to get her cab.
Gina Knight (Francesca Henry): Recovering addict Gina snuck out of the Vic with her coat to go on a ‘walk’, just before the attack took place.
Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa): Cindy got Lauren addicted to smack and revealed her addiction to her family, leaving Peter devastated and her family destroyed. Just before Cindy was attacked, Lauren was contemplating taking more pills in the car lot.
Peter Beale (Thomas Law): Cindy destroyed the family unit they all shared by her actions. She then called him ‘stupid’ in her extensive monologue in the Vic which left his drowning his tears.
While a third wrote: “My theory: Amelia is a hitman (hitperson?) for the Ford family or is part of the family.
“She was supposed to end Cindy on Christmas Day but botched the job, so now Amelia’s lingering in Walford, keeping tabs on the investigation and waiting for another opportunity.”
Will Ian end up being revealed as Cindy’s attacker?
