EastEnders star steps back from soap after securing role in surprising new show

Star will be off screens for a ‘few weeks’ to pursue new opportunity

A long-standing EastEnders cast member is stepping back from the BBC soap after securing the lead role in a surprising new production.

Michelle Collins, 62, first played Cindy Beale in the much-loved series in 1988 and made a shock return in 2023 after her character was supposedly killed off during childbirth 25 years earlier.

Collins will now take a break from Albert Square to make her debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as the lead in the comedy show Motorhome Marilyn.

The EastEnders actor will star in the one woman play as the wannabe actress Ruthie Richards, who is left working as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, after a failed attempt to make it in Hollywood.

Although the show is written by Ben Weatherill and directed by Alexandra Spencer Jones, Motorhome Marilyn is based on an idea by Collins, per the show’s synopsis.

An insider told The Sun of Collins’ EastEnders absence: “She will be off screens for a few weeks but BBC bosses know it’s important to let their biggest stars do other projects so they remain on the show long-term.

“Bosses will have big plans for Cindy when she does return to Albert Square,” they added.

Collins will perform Motorhome Marilyn at the Gilded Balloon Patter House in Edinburgh from July 30 to August 25 at 5.30pm each day this summer.

Fans were quick to show their support for the actor’s new venture after she shared the news on social media, sharing a photo of herself as Marilyn.

“This looks great,” one fan gushed. Meanwhile another person added: “Can’t wait!! You are amazing and look absolutely fantastic darling.”

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Collins was inspired to work on Motorhome Marilyn after she met a struggling aspiring actress in Los Angeles. However, the play will be set in 1980s Hollywood rather than the modern day and follow Ruthie as she confronts the “painful cost of unfulfilled dreams” in the entertainment industry.

In a statement, Collins said of the new role: “I am thrilled to be making my Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with Motorhome Marilyn, a wonderful new play which is dark, funny and so close to my heart.

“When I encountered the show’s real-life namesake out in LA, I couldn’t have imagined that journey would lead me to this point,” she continued.

“However, thanks to Ben's, and my late friend Stuart's, wonderful writing.I can’t wait to share this story with Edinburgh audiences this summer.”