EastEnders fans were treated to a blast from the past this week, when Walford favourite Cindy Beale made a miraculous return from the dead after being revealed to be George Knight's elusive and mysterious ex-wife Rose Knight.
The shocking details came to light on Wednesday's edition of the soap, when Phil Mitchell informed George that he had done some sleuthing with a contact at the Spanish police and discovered no woman by the name of Rose Knight had ever existed. Clearly troubled by the news, George later dialled Rose's number and attempted to make contact, however the phone simply rang.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, the camera revealed former Walford resident Cindy Beale ignoring the call from George, as she sipped on a glass of wine beside a swimming pool, clearly living a life of leisure!
But while the news delighted fans who remembered Cindy from the last time she had appeared on our screens all the way back in 1998, several younger viewers were left scratching their heads about why Cindy's return was so significant, with some fans clearly struggling to grasp her history with several members of Albert Square.
Cindy Beale, the villainous character famously brought to life by actress Michelle Collins, is the former wife of long running character Ian Beale.
She first made her debut on the soap all the way back in 1988, when she was introduced for a brief 11 episode run as the daughter of a market trader selling hats. However despite her limited screen time, she proved to be such a hit with fans, Cindy soon became a series regular, and formed one of the main cast members on the soap for the next decade.
During her time on the show, Cindy dated Simon Wicks (Nick Berry) and was caught up in a tense love triangle with Simon's other love interest Donna Ludlow (Matilda Ziegler), which frequently prompted both women to vye for Simon's attention.
After being revealed to be a womaniser, Cindy grew tired of being second best and instead turned her sights to Ian Beale, who was only just starting out as a successful entrepreneur. Initially only dating him to make Simon jealous, Cindy later decided to take things one step further when she became engaged to Ian.
While on the surface their relationship appeared to be going swimmingly, things soon took a turn for the worse, when while working late one night at the Queen Vic, Cindy and Simon gave in to temptation and slept together behind Ian's back - something which subsequently lead to Cindy falling pregnant with Simon's baby.
Clearly torn by the news of her pregnancy, Cindy offered to leave Ian to pursue a relationship full time with Simon, however he refused, leaving her instead to remain with Ian. Not wanting to raise a child alone, she lied to Ian about the paternity of her son, and even went ahead with their planned wedding, after telling him he was the father.
A short time after the wedding, Cindy gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Steven in December 1989. However, after seeing the little one, Simon decided he wanted to be involved, with the truth of the furniture finally coming to light when he convinced Cindy to leave her husband to start a new life with him.
By 1992, it had emerged that Simon had abandoned Cindy and the young Steven, prompting Ian to urge them to come back to Walford, where he would happily help her to raise her son. The pair were able to successfully reconcile and even went on to have twins of their own, Lucy and Peter Beale, who were born in 1993.
Although she was happy in her marriage, Cindy's eye did have a tendency to wander, and she was caught up in affairs not once, but twice. The first affair was with a lifeguard named Matt, one year after the twins were born - and then a second with Simon's brother David Wicks, who heartbreakingly, also happened to be Ian's half-brother too.
Engaging in a torrid and steamy affair with David, Cindy's tolerance for Ian grew less and less, and after growing suspicious of her behaviour, Ian hired a private investigator to rumble her infidelity. After finding proof of her cheating, Ian vowed to make her pay for her crime and promised to take her to court for full custody of their children.
Unwilling to let Ian take her children, Cindy took drastic action in 1996, when she hired a hitman to murder her husband, so that she would be free to pursue her romance. Although she did change her mind about going through with the plot, her decision to back out came too late, and Ian was shot before her very eyes.
Suspected to be involved in the murder attempt, Cindy feared for her freedom after David was called in for questioning, as she knew it was only a matter of time before she too was confronted about the attack and arrested.
Terrified by the prospect, Cindy grabbed her sons Steven and Peter and made an attempt to flee, but was unable to collect Lucy so was forced to leave without her. Heartbroken by the loss of two of his children, Ian later hired a private investigator to try and track down his wife.
After a long search, in 1997 Ian finally tracked Cindy down to Italy, and after enlisting the help of Phil and Grant Mitchell, was able to abduct his children and bring them home.
Unwilling to let her children go without a fight, Cindy followed them back to Walford, this time with her new boyfriend Nick Holland (Dominic Taylor) in tow.
Taking Ian to court for custody, Cindy was able to win a fierce legal battle and reclaim sole custody of all three of her children - however in a shocking twist, while collecting her children after the judgement was granted, Cindy is arrested for her conspiracy to murder after the hitman she hired revealed all to Ian during a prison visit.
As a result of the arrest, Cindy loses custody and is later formally charged and remanded, while pregnant by Nick. A short time later, Ian receives news that Cindy has died in childbirth, with custody of the child, who has also been named Cindy after her mother, granted to Cindy's sister Gina Williams.
EastEnders continues weeknights at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer