EastEnders' Harriet Thorpe says 'it's only a matter of time' amid Cindy Beale twist

Harriet Thorpe has hinted that there could be a huge twist ahead for her EastEnders character, Elaine Peacock. Fans have seen Elaine clash with Cindy Beale, the estranged (believed to be dead) wife of her now ex-husband, George Knight (Colin Salmon), whom Cindy (Michelle Collins) was also married to, but under the name Rose.

But while Elaine and Cindy may have been at loggerheads in the past, in recent weeks, the pair have struck up a rather unexpected bond after Elaine's world changed. Her daughter, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), decided to sell their home, the Queen Vic pub, to start a new life after facing several tragedies—including the death of her husband, Mick (Danny Dyer).

Through this, Elaine found herself not only out of a home but also a job, as being a pub landlady was all she had known. With pressure piling on her, Cindy turned to Elaine for help behind the bar at the Prince Albert, sparking a rather unusual friendship between the now "frenemies."

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However, actress Harriet, 68, has hinted that there could be drama between the pair soon. "Have you seen who's there? My frenemy," she exclusively told the Mirror at the National Television Awards. The star, who has also appeared in Absolutely Fabulous, added: "Frenemy – half friend, half enemy."

When asked whether the pair could come to blows any time soon, Harriet revealed: "It's only a matter of time. You heard it here first!" Having first joined the soap opera in 2023, it's fair to say that Elaine has seen her fair share of drama – including cheating on her husband George, who also cheated on her.

"It's such an honour to be part of something that tells stories, whether nine or 90 – you are supported and there's an important current issue that's going on and we tell those stories." One thing that the actress loves about being on the BBC soap is that no two days are the same for her.

"That's the joy and the honour of being on this show," she said, adding: "You never stay the same, you are always evolving." And evolving is what the show has done. Cindy and Elaine's ex-husband, George, moved on with Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) after the pair engaged in a fling at the local nightclub.

But while most exes would have been livid, Cindy and Elaine appeared to be carefree. Elaine even told George that she was happy he'd personally told her the news. Just last month, Elaine also found herself at the centre of a heated clash, which saw her thrown to the ground by armed thugs.

Elaine stepped in to help Kojo, the younger brother of George, after she discovered he was in a very awkward position when a group of thugs headed into his workplace, The Arches, and attempted to threaten him, with Elaine bearing the brunt of the thugs, as one brutally pushed her over.

However, Okie appeared to come to their rescue, unbeknownst to Elaine and Kojo that the thugs were actually there on Okie's orders, and he later paid them for the drama.

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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