EastEnders' Molly Rainford shares the big twist that was kept from her
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders newcomer Molly Rainford only joined the soap last month as Anna Knight, yet has been at the centre of an important twist as a presumed-dead character has not only been confirmed to be Anna's mother but also returning to the soap.
Anna and sister Gina's (Francesca Henry) long-lost mum referred to as Rose was instead revealed to be Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), Ian Beale's (Adam Woodyatt) ex-wife. Things became even more complicated as it was revealed that not only is Cindy alive, but she has been living with Ian and their son Peter (Thomas Law) in France, with all making a dramatic return to Walford this summer.
Opening up on the surprise, Rainford told Inside Soap that she was kept in the dark about the reveal until the very last moment.
Related: Former EastEnders star Zack Morris reflects on Keegan Baker exit decision
"I literally found out the same week that the viewers did! We had our inklings, and we were all trying to guess, because they did say that there was someone coming back to be our mum. We only met Michelle a couple of days before her episode aired. It felt like the Knight puzzle had been put together, and Michelle was just really cool - she's so iconic in EastEnders. It just felt as if this was going to be something really special."
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw recently explained to Digital Spy and other media that Michelle's return has been a year in the planning, after she last exited the soap in 1998.
"We started talking about it well over a year ago. Once we started to look at the story, we had to make sure it was credible. She was dead but we didn't see a body, so it was making sure that that worked.
"People will question how [Cindy and Ian] are back together, we all know she tried to kill him. It's been 25 years and a lot's changed. Cindy's a bit of a different woman now. She's been through this whole other life with George (Colin Salmon), Gina and Anna and not be able to tell them who she really is. George and Cindy were together for 15 years, before the past nine years, so there's a lot of history there. She's not quite the same woman."
Related: EastEnders' Gillian Taylforth reveals who she thinks should return
Meanwhile, Molly also shared with Inside Soap her thoughts on Anna's potential new romance, as she seems to have already made a connection with Bobby Beale and Freddie Slater. Though Bobby has the Beale surname, he is Ian's son with Laura and not biologically related to Anna.
"This is a hard one as I think there's traits in both of them that she's suited to. I guess she's a bit more confident than Bobby, but she finds it quite endearing that he's a bit nervous and shy around her. But then I think she likes how Freddie doesn't have a filter and just does stuff. He makes her laugh. So I don't know yet, I'm still trying to work it out myself!"
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage.
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