The One Show’s Alex Jones had to swoop in when a guest’s interview took an awkward stumble just moments in.
The Welsh presenter was back on the iconic green sofa on Monday (June 23) evening alongside co-host Roman Kemp.
The duo were joined by a roster of celebs including EastEnders veteran Michelle Collins, who dished on her brief departure from the renowned BBC serial drama to embark on a fresh new venture.
Michelle, 63, is all set for an Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut this summer, starring in the solo dark humour-laced Motorhome Marilyn penned by Ben Weatherill.
Echoing a real-life brush with the enigmatic Motorhome Marilyn, the play tracks Denise, an actress smitten with Marilyn Monroe and chasing fame in 80s Hollywood, reports Wales Online.
But as stardom proves elusive, Denise grapples with the stark reality of her fading dreams. Eager for the inside scoop, hosts Alex and Roman delved into Michelle’s upcoming gig, however things took an awkward turn for the star as she made an unexpected blunder.
Roman started off by asking: “Obviously doing a one woman show and doing the whole thing playing the character, is your home becoming a bit of a shrine to Marilyn Monroe?”.
Michelle opened up about her obsession and admitted: “Oh yes. My husband is like ‘Michelle this is getting really silly now, it’s getting unhealthy.’ Everything down to my coffee cup is Marilyn. I mean everything. It’s amazing how much stuff you can get and the collections out there are unreal.”
She delved deeper into the topic, saying: “It’s tough and I do kind of think ‘why did I do this’ because I’m filming at the same time and I’m rehearsing at the weekend.”
During the chat, American actor Sean Hayes couldn’t help but inquire: “So when does it start?” leading Michelle to uncertainly respond: “Umm 29th of July?”.
It appears as though Michelle got her dates wrong as Alex had to step in to set the record straight, making a face at the camera as she corrected Michelle: “No. It’s the 30th”.
The mix-up led to giggles all round when Michelle promptly corrected herself: “The 30th, thank you Alex. Don’t come on the 29th.”
Fans of EastEnders will recognise Michelle as the iconic Cindy Beale from the beloved BBC soap. In a shocking twist that delighted viewers, the actress made her dramatic return to EastEnders in 2023, defying the storyline from 25 years ago that claimed Cindy had died during childbirth back in 1998.
The plot thickened as it was revealed Cindy had actually been hiding out in Spain under witness protection. Since coming back to Walford, the character has been embroiled in scandal after scandal, including the revelation of her affair with Junior Knight over Christmas.
Since then, she’s been assaulted by Kathy Beale, shot her husband Ian and inadvertently sparked the Queen Vic fire, resulting in Martin Fowler’s tragic demise. The actress is now preparing to bid farewell to the show once more, albeit briefly, as she embarks on a new journey in theatre.
