EastEnders die-hard fans will remember Cindy Beale as the notorious scarlet woman, infamous for her secret affair with David Wicks behind husband Ian Beale’s back.

Even though it’s been a quarter of a century since Cindy wreaked havoc in Albert Square, BBC soap viewers are predicting she’s about to break hearts once more – but not with George Knight, who she’s been trying to rekindle a romance with since her return to Walford. The audacious mum, portrayed by Michelle Collins, 62, has left fans speculating that she’s got her eye on George’s son Junior for a scandalous affair.

Cindy was supposedly written out in 1998, but was actually put into witness protection and given a new identity as Rose Sawyer. However, in 2003, it was revealed she was alive and well in France with Ian, played by Adam Woodyatt.

Adding another layer to the plot, Cindy is the mother of Gina and Anna, whose father is George, who also moved into the Queen Vic pub.

However, it appears that George isn’t the only man in Cindy’s sights, with Junior Knight now coming into her radar. One fan took to Reddit, speculating: “I think the twist will not be the predictable Cindy George affair, but her getting with his son (who is the chip off the old block).”, reports the Mirror.

While another chipped in: ” They are already laying the groundwork: dubbing in Cindy saying it was the first time they’d met, making it clear there’s no biological connection. It would be fireworks and a fantastic detonation of the Knights and the Beales, and a classic Cindy moment! “.

In agreement, a third shared: “Honestly want more drama here than just Cindy and George having an affair, so let’s keep Cindy true to form…I wouldn’t put it past her, but would she have had and or, could she have an affair with Junior? ”

But not everyone thinks this theory holds water as another said: “That would be gross and wouldn’t make sense”. Yet another argued further: “Now that would just leave lan with nothing. But Cindy cheating on him with George and his son. That would take cheating with an attractive man to whole new level! “.

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Speaking about her anticipated return in 2023, she revealed to The Sun: “It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s also very exciting. I think things are about timing, really life is about timing. And I think if it happened five years ago, I probably would have said no.”

Adam, who has been portraying Ian Beale since 1985, chimed in: “[The] nicest thing has been going back and seeing all the faces that I haven’t seen.”

Chris Clenshaw, the writer who crafted the storyline of Cindy’s return with Ian, shared that the production team has been ironing out the details for over a year.

He explained: “We started to look at the story and obviously, make sure it was credible in terms of, she’s dead, how could that work? But… we didn’t see a body. We made sure that it worked with our research and our advisors and they came back and said, ‘Yeah, this is in fact, what could and would happen’ and that’s when I was like, OK, I think we’ve got a shot of being able to do this.”