Cindy is back and in for the shock of her life as a showdown explodes in EastEnders

She’s always involved in some sort of drama (Picture: BBC)

Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) is back in Walford in time for Christmas in EastEnders. The problem is though, so is Max Branning (Jake Wood).

Max and Cindy’s paths have never crossed, but Cindy already has plenty of reason to hate him.

During the storyline that saw Max get revenge on those who accused him of killing Lucy Beale, he manipulated Steven Beale, Cindy’s son, into helping him with it.

This was because Max discovered Steven was pretending to have a brain tumour.

The plot saw Max set fire to the restaurant with the intent of leaving Jane Beale to die inside. When Max found Steven trying to rescue Jane, he shoved him into a countertop.

Steven was rushed to hospital after this, but he died as a result of the injuries sustained in the fire. Cindy knows that if Max wasn’t so hellbent on destroying Jane’s life, Steven probably would still be alive.

Max wants to prove he’s changed (Picture: BBC)

Max has returned to Albert Square because he wants to show his family that he’s a changed man. In the lead up to Christmas Day though, he does an awful job at showing this as he vents his frustrations among his family following the exposure of a secret.

Vowing to support him, Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) and Jack (Scott Maslen) believe they’ve talked Max out of acting irrationally, but their intentions are scuppered when Max accepts advice from Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan).

On Christmas Day, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and Peter Beale (Thomas Law) are forced to spring into action to keep a returning Cindy away from Max.

As the dinner commences, it’s not long before chaos ensues when more than one truth sparks fireworks at the dinner table for everyone involved.

‘He’s obviously got history with Linda, who hasn’t told him that Annie is his daughter, and neither has his family, so I’m sure Max would be heartbroken to not only discover he’s been kept in the dark, and away from the chance of being Annie’s dad for the last four years, but that his family have played a part in it all’, star Jake Wood said.

Max was the reason Steven Beale died (Picture: BBC)

‘Then there’s Cindy, who blames Max for her son Steven’s death and his involvement with Lucy, and they’ve never come face-to-face before, so there has to be a showdown between the pair which we will see at Jimmy’s Christening. I can’t say much at this stage, but they were great scenes to film. There’s also all the family stuff with Max, Lauren, Oscar and Jack, so there is a lot of unfinished business awaiting him when he returns.

‘There’s also lots going on with a lot of other big families in Walford, so it’s a good balance of high drama and chaos across the festive period! Watch this space.’

With the events of Christmas looming over Walford, the Beales and Brannings attempt to put on a brave face to celebrate Jimmy’s christening.

Lauren and Peter are a bit distracted, however, as they’re worrying about Cindy and Max meeting for the first time. To prevent any drama, they decide to uninvite Max.

However, when Lauren later finds her dad upset over not being invited, she changes her mind.

When Cindy learns about Max attending, she refuses to go, but he then clashes with Jack, which leads him to not being allowed to attend anyways.

Ignoring everyone, Max heads to the church and unsurprisingly, it isn’t long until he causes a commotion with Cindy…

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