EastEnders fans ‘work out’ why Cindy’s fake name was Rose – and it’s because of Ian
EastEnders’ Cindy Beale was named Rose Sawyer when she was in witness protection - but now fans of the BBC soap have ‘rumbled’ the reason why she was called that
EastEnders fans have ‘worked out’ why Cindy Beale’s fake name in the witness protection was Rose.
The character, played by Michelle Collins, made her epic return to the BBC One soap last year after 25 years off-screen. Fans will recall that Cindy was supposedly killed off-screen in 1998.
But the fan favourite never actually died in childbirth, as fans were told, and instead was put into witness protection and given a new identity, Rose Sawyer.
In 2023, it was revealed that Cindy was actually alive and living in France, with her husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). And in another huge twist, it turned out Cindy was the mother of Gina and Anna and ex-to George Knight (Colin Salmon) who had just moved to Walford.
However, fans of the soap have recently come across an old episode – and it could have foreshadowed the reason Cindy was called Rose.
Over on X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer shared a clip from a throwback episode of EastEnders from the ‘90s. In the video, Ian can be seen picking up a rose before smiling.
Alongside the video, the social media user wrote: “Ian coming back from seeing Cindy (who’s just agreed to spend Christmas with Ian) and picking up a single rose from the floor? Is this coming after Ian bought her a bunch of red roses too? So he’s picked up the rose because he’s thought of Cindy? Welp.”
However, other fans of the long-running BBC One soap were quick to point out how this could have influenced the soap’s producers when it came to coming up with Cindy’s fake name in witness protection.
Referencing the soap’s executive producer, one viewer said: “Did Chris Crenshaw watch this one day and think “Cindy = Rose Knight.” Someone else replied: “When I say I yelled!”
