EastEnders' Michelle Collins confirms "unpredictable" Cindy and Max wedding

 EastEnders star Michelle Collins has teased that her character Cindy Beale’s upcoming wedding to Max Branning will be unpredictable, to say the least. The couple are all set to tie the knot in a couple of weeks, in early September – on the very same day as Kim and Howie.

However, we know that Max recently had a sordid affair with Priya, and while things are now over between them, Priya has just made the shocking discover that she is pregnant with his baby.

Plus, the all-important flashforward episode showed Max preparing to get married again on New Year’s Day, so we already know that this upcoming wedding is destined not to go entirely to plan.

 actor Michelle Collins explains what we can expect from this big week in Walford as brides Cindy and Kim go head-to-head. Could some huge secrets be revealed before Cindy and Max say ‘I do’?

Check out our video with Michelle at the top of the page, then read our full DS Q&A below…

Hi, Michelle! What can you tell us about Cindy and Max’s upcoming wedding?

"Well, it’s going to be a typical Walford wedding, that’s for sure, in the sense that it’s never a wedding that goes to plan. It will be unpredictable. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say that it’s not the perfect wedding! It’s Max and Cindy, what do you expect?

"Also the fact that Cindy is not Miss Popular, and Kim is getting married at the same time. A lot of people decide they’re not going to Cindy’s wedding, so she gets a little bit peeved and turns into a bit of a bridezilla character – ‘why aren’t they coming to my wedding?’

But it’s an interesting wedding, that’s all I’m going to say without giving too much away. It was great to play it, I really enjoyed it. I can’t say how many weeks it took, it seems like it went on for years! It had its moments, it had its ups and downs, but it was fun. Everyone loves to get married on telly, don’t they?"

How would you describe Cindy’s wedding dress?

"Her wedding dress was white – even though she’s been married three times before! It wasn’t fluffy, blancmange, it was a bit more – I shouldn’t really say age-appropriate because I annoy myself when I say that, but it kind of was. It was kind of long, kind of lacy, quite tight.

"My hair, I wanted to channel a bit of Dusty Springfield, Duffy, with a beehive. There was a lot of action at the wedding, and I didn’t want to have to worry about my hair. Zoe, who did the hair and make up, was really amazing actually, she was very attentive.

"Everyone knows that Cindy’s hard and driven, but there’s also a vulnerable side to her, and she is very much in love with Max. So she really wants this wedding to be perfect – doesn’t every bride want their wedding to be perfect? She does look lovely and she’s got her bridesmaids, and that’s all I can say!"

There is some sympathy for Cindy, because we know what’s going on behind her back…

"Yeah, and she’s never been cheated on before. It’s always her that’s cheated on somebody, so it’s interesting to play. She’s always been the other one! So in a sense, it would bring out her vulnerabilities. But that’s why she’s so great to play. She’s deeply flawed, she’s probably not the best mum in the world, she’s kind of chaotic, but she’s honest and she’s human and she makes mistakes like everybody else out there.

"And I think more importantly, she’s a survivor, and whatever happens, she will come bouncing back, and she will reinvent herself. Look at the stuff she went through – she went away for 25 years, she went to prison, she went on the run for 8 years, she came back and she’s still here, she’s got her own business.

So she just continually reinvents herself and survives, and I think that’s what a lot of women like about Cindy. She could easily be hated, but I think because they write for her and she is vulnerable, and that is her redeeming feature, I think, and hopefully will be her saviour.

"And also, Max is so dislikeable! What on earth did she fall in love with him for? He’s so dislikeable! I mean, Jake’s a great actor, but he is pretty dislikeable, isn’t he? You go, ‘Cindy, what are you doing?’ So there’s half of me that goes, maybe people will be on her side anyway – because fancy cheating on somebody before you get married? I mean really, it’s a very cowardly thing to do, isn’t it? Have the guts to tell someone!

But people love them together, they seem to think that they have a great chemistry together. It’s the will they won’t they, the war of the roses. They’re both strong characters, they’re both deeply flawed, they’re terrible parents. But they can’t stop loving, both of them! They just need people in their lives, which is a little bit sad, really."

While there’s a September wedding, we’ve also seen Max preparing for his wedding on New Year’s Day in the flashforward. Is there anything you can tease about this?

"Well, whose wedding is it? See I don’t know, I haven’t seen the flashforward. I decided not to watch it, I was only in it a tiny, tiny bit. But I might wait – because it’s obviously not finished, and I don’t know what’s going to happen, I really don’t know. And that’s quite exciting, not to know. I don’t really want to know, because I don’t want to spoil it.

"But it was last Christmas that Cindy and Max got together. So it’s a year – they’ve only been together a year! I mean, my god, so much has happened in a year. They met, they found out who each other was, then they started hating each other, then they fell in love! And it’s been chaos all the way. So let’s see. It’s certainly not going to be boring."

EastEnders lines up shock 2027 exit for popular Branning

 Somebody could be leaving Albert Square.

EastEnders is reportedly lining up a shock exit for a member of the Branning family, with Pierre Counihan-Moullier set to depart the soap next year.

The actor made his debut on the BBC soap in July 2025, having taken over the role of Oscar Branning from Charlee Hall. But his stay in Walford looks to have lasted around 18 months, as The Sun is reporting that the actor has quit the role.

It has been reported that the character will depart next year, though the door is expected to be left open regarding a potential return. No storyline details have been revealed, with producers keeping their cards close to their chest.

Since Counihan-Moullier arrived in Walford, Oscar developed his relationship with family members Max and Lauren, while also being at the centre of a love triangle involving Jasmine Fisher and Josh Goodwin.

The reported developments come amid a flurry of cast exits on the BBC soap, with both Michelle Ryan and Kellie Bright confirmed to be leaving. Aaron Thiara, who plays Ravi Gulati, is also said to be departing, though that hasn't been officially confirmed.

Ryan, who portrays Zoe Slater, returned last year after an absence of two decades, but it was announced in June that she would soon be leaving. It was also reported that the character would be killed off, with filming for a funeral recently taking place.

Bright, meanwhile, announced that she had decided to leave the soap after 13 years in the role of Linda Carter. She shared that she had agreed to stay for a while longer as part of an "exciting storyline".

Eden’s future is uncertain after a frightening diagnosis, while Harper finally tells the police about Beau’s abuse.

 

Next week on Home and Away in the UK,Eden’s (Stephanie Panozzo) recent health concerns take a frightening turn next week, when she collapses and receives a potentially fatal diagnosis.

The first sign that something was wrong came after Eden returned from a girls’ trip to the city with her sister Abigail (Hailey Pinto) and Mackenzie (Emily Weir).

She blamed her exhaustion on a late night and one glass of wine too many, but Abby became concerned when Eden later suffered an unexpected nosebleed at Salt.

As Eden had never experienced one before, Abby urged her to seek medical advice. However, Eden dismissed the incident and refused to trouble her brother Levi (Tristan Gorey), who was already dealing with his own hand injury.

Eden’s appearance was also noted when she visited Remi (Adam Rowland) in hospital following his attack.

Despite his own injuries, Remi remarked that she looked worse than he did, but Eden blamed it on the stress of everything going on.

Next week, Eden suffers another dizzy spell whilst serving Sonny (Ryan Bown) at Salt, but once again insists that she simply needs some water.

Later in the week, Mac rewards Eden and Abby for their hard work by allowing them to finish early. However, as they prepare to leave, Eden suffers another dizzy spell and dismisses it as the result of a long day.

Abby remains unconvinced by Eden’s attempts to play down her symptoms and begins researching possible explanations. After she raises the possibility that Eden could be pregnant, Eden reluctantly agrees to take a test.

Abby offers to cover Eden’s morning shift the next day, giving her the chance to do the test. Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) remains unaware of what’s going on and heads to Salt to collect breakfast, where Mac asks how Eden is feeling after seeing Abby arrive in her place.

The question catches Cash off guard, as Eden hasn’t mentioned anything about being unwell.

By the time Cash returns home, Eden has discovered that the test is negative. When he mentions Mac’s concern and asks why she cancelled her shift, Eden simply blames a long week.

Cash jokingly concludes that she’s thrown a sickie to spend the day with him, and Eden doesn’t correct his misunderstanding.

Feeling better later, Eden returns to Salt and offers to work the remainder of her shift. She confirms the test result to Abby, who points out that it doesn’t explain her other symptoms.

Eden insists that people sometimes feel tired or under the weather and promises to contact a doctor if she hasn’t improved within a week.

When Cash later arrives at Salt, Eden asks him to stay for a drink. Mac points out that Abby is already covering the shift and encourages Eden to finish early so that she and Cash can spend some time together.

However, Eden’s condition deteriorates before they can leave. As she and Cash discuss heading out for lunch and a walk on the beach, she’s hit by another wave of dizziness.

Eden initially assures both Cash and Mac that she’s fine, but moments later she collapses into her husband’s arms.

Cash shouts for someone to call an ambulance and desperately tries to wake Eden as she remains unresponsive.

At Northern Districts Hospital, Amelia (Nicole da Silva) initially struggles to establish what caused the collapse, as Eden continues to insist that she’s merely been tired.

When Abby arrives with Levi and Mac, she reveals that Eden has been exhausted for a couple of weeks and recently suffered a nosebleed.

Cash is stunned that Eden kept the symptoms from him, but there’s more worrying news when an ECG detects a run of abnormal heartbeats. Eden then admits that she has also experienced some shortness of breath at work.

Cash becomes increasingly distressed as he demands immediate answers from Amelia, forcing Amelia to ask him to step outside for some fresh air.

Levi then explains to Amelia that Cash’s reaction comes from the trauma of losing his sister at the same hospital, where he was ultimately forced to switch off her life support.

Cash later returns and apologises, but refuses to leave Eden’s side as she’s admitted overnight for further tests.

Whilst helping Eden fasten her hospital gown, Cash notices a series of bruises across her back.

Eden is alarmed, having been completely unaware that they were there, and Cash immediately fetches Amelia.

When Amelia examines her, Cash insists that the bruises weren’t there the previous night. Eden asks whether they could be connected to her collapse, and Amelia confirms that they fit with the results of her blood tests.

Eden’s red and white cell counts are both low, as are her platelets. Although the results aren’t enough to provide a conclusive diagnosis, Amelia explains that they’ve narrowed down the possible causes and recommends a bone-marrow biopsy.

She warns that the procedure may be uncomfortable, but that it’s necessary to determine the cause.

Cash reassures Eden throughout the biopsy, encouraging her to focus on him as Amelia takes the sample.

Once the procedure is complete, the couple face an anxious wait…

By the following morning, Amelia finally has the results—and the news is devastating. Eden has aplastic anaemia, a rare condition which means that her bone marrow has stopped producing new blood cells.

Amelia explains that the condition accounts for Eden’s exhaustion, breathlessness, bruising, nosebleed and collapse.

Although treatments are available to alleviate the symptoms, she warns the couple that aplastic anaemia can be fatal.

After weeks of dismissing her symptoms as nothing serious, Eden must now confront the possibility that her condition could cost her life!

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Elsewhere in Summer Bay, Beau’s (Blake Richardson) hold over Harper (Jessica Redmayne) and Sonny began to unravel last week, after Remi was abducted and beaten for reporting Beau’s steroid operation to the police.

Although Remi was unable to identify his attackers, he remained certain that Beau had arranged the assault. Sonny then gave the police a full statement, leaving Beau facing further questioning.

Knowing that the police were closing in, Beau ordered Harper to provide a false alibi by claiming they’d spent the night together.

As Beau was returned to the station for questioning, Harper began packing to flee Summer Bay.

When Tane (Ethan Browne) turned up unannounced and spotted the bruise on her face, a result of Beau backhanding her, she admitted that she was scared of Beau and asked Tane to look after Archie whilst she escaped alone.

Next week, Cash and David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) question Beau over Remi’s attack.

Despite the statements from Remi and Sonny, there’s no physical evidence connecting him to the abduction. Beau also maintains that he was with Harper throughout the night, confident that she’ll support his story.

When Tane arrives at the station and reveals that Beau has been assaulting Harper, Cash has to prevent Tane from attacking Beau. Cash then sets out to find Harper, knowing that her statement could be the final piece of evidence they need.

Cash tracks Harper down at the car park outside Flat Beach Wharf, where she has switched off her location sharing and is preparing to flee Summer Bay. She insists that running is the only way to protect herself and Archie.

Although Harper fears that Beau will simply be released on bail and come after her, Cash explains that the bruise on her face is evidence and that her statement could help keep him away.

Harper eventually agrees to return to the station, where Cash photographs her injuries before Harper gives a full account of Beau’s abuse and reveals the conversation she overheard about having Remi ‘dealt with’.

Her evidence corroborates Remi’s statement and finally gives the police enough to charge Beau.

However, in a time-honoured Yabbie Creek tradition, Harper unexpectedly comes face to face with Beau as she prepares to leave the station. He demands to know whether she’s confirmed his alibi, only for Harper to reveal that she has told the police everything.

David arrests Beau for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but he continues to deny ever touching her. As Tane pulls a sobbing Harper close, Beau makes a direct threat for all to hear.

“I’m gonna kill you for this,” he shouts. “I’m gonna track you down. I’m gonna find you and your little boy!”

Will all the evidence finally be enough to put Beau behind bars? Given Yabbie Creek’s track record, we wouldn’t hold our breath…

Home and Away is available to stream from 6am weekdays, with double bill episodes airing from 6pm on 5Star.

Monday 31st August (Episode 8772)

Beau’s alibi falls through.

Tane’s anger reaches boiling point.

Cash implores Harper to help take down Beau.

Can Dana forgive Sonny?

Tuesday 1st September (Episode 8773)

David seizes the day.

Amelia is the guest of honour.

Marilyn searches for Zane.

Levi feels lost.

Wednesday 2nd September (Episode 8774)

David turns on the charm.

Levi’s hand lets him down.

Zane’s on the run.

Thursday 3rd September (Episode 8775)

Leah and Zane team up.

John’s nose is out of joint.

Cash’s concern for Eden grows.

Friday 4th September (Episode 8776)

Zane learns the ropes.

Eden receives shocking news.

Cash demands answers.