EastEnders legend Michelle Collins delighted fans with her epic return to the BBC soap last year.
But the Cindy Beale star has been recalling a time that she wasn’t the most popular person on the EastEnders set, at least with her colleagues, as she opened up on a time she was given into big trouble by a producer for telling a porky pie that backfired on her.
Keen to impress ahead of her Albert Square debut back in 1998, Michelle had told producer Julia Smith at the soap that she could ride a motorbike confidently, not realising that they’d soon ask her to put her money where her mouth was.
Michell, 62, recalled: “I was very nervous only because I had lied to Julia Smith (the producer) and I told her I could ride a motorbike and I actually couldn’t.
“As soon as I got onto the set, they presented me with this bike.”
Michelle went on, as reports Plymouth Live, to explain that Julia had previously seen her riding a motorbike in another acting role, but the star failed to mention the fact she was “pushed in and out of shot by the prop men” at the time. And the fib almost led to a serious accident that could have caused harm to a pair of fellow future Albert Square legends.
Speaking to Best Magazine, Michelle added: “She could see that I was very nervous and couldn’t ride it properly – I nearly ran Sharon (Letitia Dean) and Michelle (Susan Tully) over!”
And recalling the reaction of Julia when Michelle’s lie was discovered, Michelle went on: “Julia came over to me and said, ‘You can’t ride that bike can you?’ and I just apologised. She said, ‘Don’t like to me again!'”.
Luckily, all was forgiven and Michelle would go on to become one of the ultimate fan favourite characters on the square since her original ten-year stint was wrapped up with an off screen storyline that killed Cindy off while she was in jail for attempted murder. Viewers, and the fictional residents of Walford, were told she’d died during childbirth.
In 2023, Michelle made a surprise return after 25 years and it was explained as a witness protection storyline. Cindy hasn’t had a dull moment since her return -with drama from an affair with ex-husband George Knight’s (Colin Salmon) son, Junior (Micah Balfour). Cindy’s deceit was exposed at Christmas, and she became the centre of a festive whodunnit after being left for dead when she was smacked over the head with a spae.
There have been nine suspects in the frame over the last few weeks with the culprit finally unveiled this week as part of the soap’s special 40th anniversary celebrations.