Cindy Beale's shock return to EastEnders has now seen two other iconic characters make their own 'secret' comebacks to the BBC soap, as fans went wild for Lauren Branning and Peter Beale's appearance on Thursday night.
It's been quite a week for EastEnders fans; while Cindy's appearance was ruined by a national tabloid, who leaked details of her return, viewers had no idea that Ian Beale was also coming back, until actor Adam Woodyatt was pictured alongside Cindy actress Michelle Collins in images shared by the BBC as credits rolled on Wednesday night.
Cindy's comeback was confirmed in the final scene of the episode, but, it wasn't until Thursday evening that EastEnders fans got a clearer picture of what Cindy was up to now, having been led to believe that she passed away during childbirth in prison, back in 1998.
READ MORE: Ian Beale makes EastEnders return to join Cindy in huge twist on BBC soap
Cindy and Ian were seen running a baguette stall together abroad, with the exes' romance seemingly very much back on, as Cindy told her longsuffering former husband that it was him she wanted and not George, her other husband who believes she is called Rose, she had two children with and lives in Albert Square.
And, if seeing Cindy and Ian back together wasn't enough, viewers then got to see another much loved pair back on screen, Lauren and Peter; with Peter played by actor Thomas Law, who originally took on the role from 2006 to 2010. The couple were seen with their son Louis, as Jacqueline Jossa returned as Lauren, following a brief appearance in the soap for Dot's funeral last year.
Having been kept on the edges of their seats 24 hours earlier, viewers were over the moon by just how much Thursday's episode delivered, with one ecstatic fan taking to Twitter to post: "i think lauren and peter coming back shook me more than cindy , glad they kept that a secret." Echoing just that, a second tweeted: "lauren and peter back on eastenders omg … i used to pray for days like these"
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