As former EastEnders actress Mimi Keene returns to our screens as Ruby in the final hit series of Sex Education on Netflix, many fans have been left wondering whatever happened to her Walford alter ego, Cindy Williams,.
As the fourth actress to play the character of Cindy Jr, Mimi starred on the soap between 2013 and 2015, before she famously quit the soap for good on 17 August 2015 to pursue other projects.
But who exactly is Cindy Williams really, and could we see her return to Albert Square in the future, now that her own mother Cindy Beale had returned from the dead?
Here’s everything you need to know about Cindy Williams…
Early Life
Cindy Williams is the youngest child of Cindy Beale and Nick Holland and first started her life in prison, when she was born to inmate Cindy Sr while she was serving time for the attempted murder of her former husband Ian Beale.
At the time of her birth, Cindy Sr was said to have died of an embolism shortly after the delivery, leaving the youngster in the care of her biological dad Nick.
However, he wanted nothing to do with the newborn and instead sent her to live with her maternal grandmother, Bev Williams and her aunt Gina Williams in Devon.
A brief legal battle ensued when Ian Beale, her legal guardian, fought for the right to raise her, but eventually he conceded defeat and she was raised by Gina away from her half-siblings who remained in Walford.
Return to Walford
After living comfortably with her aunt for 14 years in Devon, Cindy Jr later returned to Walford after an argument at home left her wanting to connect with her old brother Peter.
Breaking into Ian’s house, where Peter was living, a disgruntled Peter tried to shoo her away before Ian realised she needed help and invited her to stay.
However, despite his best intentions, Cindy was far from an easy person to live with, as the troubled teen was caught stealing money from Phil Mitchell and even won the Miss Teen Vic beauty pageant after fraudulently rigging the votes with the help of Patrick Trueman.
It was during this time that she began to catch the attention of several boys in Albert Square, including Liam Butcher, however a one night stand with TJ Spraggan would soon change her life forever.
Teenage Pregnancy
Despite having clear chemistry with Liam, a one-night stand with TJ soon led Cindy Jr to fall pregnant, something which sent the teen on a self destructive spiral as she feared she would be sent back to Devon if the truth was revealed.
Eventually, Ian did discover Cindy's pregnancy, and mistakenly confronted Liam believing his was the father, prompting TJ to admit the truth.
Cindy and TJ then decided to raise their baby together, despite initial concern from both families about the duo being too young and immature to handle the pressures of parenthood.
With the reluctant support of their families, everything appeared to be going well for a time, or at least up until Cindy began to grow jealous of the way her father favoured her half-sister Lucy Beale, who was his own biological child.
In a furious rage at being treated second best, Cindy blurted out that Lucy was a cocaine addict, much to Ian’s displeasure.
To make matters worse, just a short time later, Lucy was murdered, with Cindy revealing the truth about her sister’s addiction to the police as part of the investigation.
Sister’s Murder
Devastated by Cindy’s betrayal, Ian threw the pregnant teen out of his home and ordered her to go back to Devon, as he struggled to process Lucy’s death.
Cindy later returned to attend Lucy's funeral but when Ian tried to make amends, she reminded him that she knew he was lying about his alibi the night Lucy died.
The truth then later emerged that Lucy’s killer was her younger brother Bobby Beale, and that the entire family had been covering up the information in the hope of protecting the youngster who was unaware he had actually killed her.
Baffled by how her family could keep such a secret, the truth began to weigh heavily on Cindy’s mind and caused further tension between herself and her relatives.
Reluctant Motherhood
After a rocky patch, Cindy was able to reconcile somewhat with Ian Beale, who even played a starring role in the birth of her daughter Beth Williams, when he helped to deliver the baby at home.
However, despite the safe arrival of the little one, motherhood was no easy feat for Cindy, who found herself facing life as a single mother after TJ admitted he couldn’t cope with being a father and fled Walford for a new life in Milton Keynes.
Struggling with the loss of independence and the sudden influx of responsibilities, Cindy began to entertain the idea of giving her baby girl away to be raised by someone else, with Ian and his wife Jane Beale offering to adopt Beth and raise her as their own.
Despite the kind offer, Cindy couldn’t quite get her head around the idea of her daughter suddenly becoming her sister and declined their offer.
As a compromise, Jane then arranged for the baby to be raised by TJ in Milton Keynes with the support of his family.
Walford Exit
Following Beth’s exit, Cindy initially struggled to adjust before slowly beginning to get her life back on track with the potential of rekindling her romance with Liam after still sensing some chemistry there.
Deciding to act upon her feelings, Cindy even tried to kiss Liam, but found herself snubbed as he explained he wasn’t sure she was kissing him for the right reasons.
Heartbroken by the perceived rejection, she contemplated leaving Albert Square for good, after feeling as though she was unwanted and unloved by all of the people in her life.
Keen to show her that she was still loved and cared for, Liam convinced her to go home and reunite with her family rather than running away.
In an unexpected twist, while trying to reconcile with her family, Bobby Beale’s role in Lucy’s murder once again became the topic of discussion, as Ian and Jane desperately tried to stop Cindy from going to the police with the information.
In an attempt to buy her silence, Ian purchased a one way ticket for Cindy and Liam to head to Devon, to start a new life together, however Liam, having expressed his true and genuine feelings for Cindy, demanded £100,000 from the Beales in exchange for his silence and departure.
The duo then fled to Germany, where they went to live with Liam’s father Ricky Butcher in August 2015.
Possible Return
After building a new life for themselves in Dusseldorf, Germany, very little was heard about Cindy and Liam over the next eight years, until a tidbit of information was mentioned in September 2023 on the show.
During a brief conversation between the Beales, it was revealed that Cindy Jr and Liam had broken up, with Cindy now travelling the world instead.
This piece of information directly coincided with her mother Cindy Beale’s return from the dead, after it emerged she hadn’t actually died in prison at all, but had faked her own death after becoming a police informant.
With this information still unknown to Cindy Jr, fans are hoping it could pave the way to her return in the future, especially if she tries to reconnect with big brother Peter, now that he lives in Walford.
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