BBC EastEnders' Michelle Collins had huge six-figure payday after 'return from the dead'
EastEnders actress Michelle Collins returned to the BBC soap as Cindy Beale in 2023, more than 20 years after the character died off-screen in prison.
Michelle Collins has had a drastic jump in her earnings since she returned to EastEnders in 2023. The actress, 62, made her first appearance as Cindy Beale in 1998.
10 years later, the character died off-screen during childbirth in prison. While she previously shut down a potential return to the soap, Cindy "returned from the dead" last summer.
The soap star was reportedly down to £20,000 in her company accounts when she agreed to return to Albert Square. Michelle began running ITV Worx Limited in 1996, a firm which takes in money from her TV work.
Michelle now has cash reserves of £125,072, shown in accounts filed this August, which cover 12 months to the end of March 2024. The Coronation Street star has paid more than £56,000 in tax, meaning she earned around five times that sum in 2024.
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The Sun claims she handed over £12,240 to HMRC in 2023, showing a drastic increase in her earnings over the two years. Michelle also used to run her own cosmetic brand, MC Skin Truth, which she founded in 2015.
The company shut down in 2021, with the last set of accounts showing it had assets of just £100. Speaking about her return to EastEnders, Michelle admitted it was a huge decision on whether she wanted to bring her character back from the dead.
She said: "It was a big decision to return and I wanted to go back with a good storyline. People love to hate Cindy. She is unapologetic and behaves in a way you shouldn’t really behave, but you sometimes can’t help that when you follow your heart, not your gut – let’s face it, how many women do that?"
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The TV star continued: "You should always say ‘never say never’ as an actor, because you never know. The first time round, I was desperate to leave EastEnders to prove I could do other things.
"I left when I was 33, then went back after my daughter was born – and it wasn’t the same. I'd moved on and I wasn’t enjoying it. I’d had a taste of the outside world. It didn’t feel right, so I left again."
Michelle added: "Now, it feels right being back. I’m comfortable in my skin, more in the moment. I’m still hard on myself, but I’m in a very different place now. And you don’t see many 62-year-old women getting good TV roles."
