Foreword by Michelle Collins (Cindy Beale, 1988-1998)
Let’s face it. Cindy Beale has been dead for a long time. But it never ceases to amaze me how fervent EastEnders fans can come up with all kinds of theories why she should come back from the grave to haunt Ian.
I don’t take for granted even a second the fame that EastEnders brought me during those ten magical years. The series, and even Cindy – as much as she was so easy to despise – will always mean something very special to me. That is why I’ve always made time to sign autographs or take photographs when I’m recognised in public, or answer fan mail, which is actually how I first became aware of the Walford Gazette when I answered a questionnaire sent by an American fan who contributed to the paper, Mackenzie Jones Currey.
Around the same time, I was visiting New York – which I absolutely adore, especially for the shopping – settling in on some fish & chips at a takeaway on 14th Street, when I did a double-take. There were free copies of the Walford Gazette, including a photo of me! I thought, why don’t we have this at home?
Soon thereafter I was contacted by the Gazette’s co-founder and editor Dan Abramson, and we did a phone interview. I was impressed how professional it all went, compared to some of my dealings with the British tabloids.
A few years later, I met Dan’s business partner, Larry Jaffee, when he and Deepak Verma were climbing up the stairs of London’s Soho House, while I was going down. I hadn’t seen Deepak in a while, and we shared many scenes on EastEnders, since Cindy was best mates with Sanjay’s wife Gita. As it turned out, Larry was a good mate of Deepak’s, and we decided to stay in touch and some time soon have a “proper meeting.” Later that year we had a quick impromptu hello at Manhattan’s Gramercy Hotel (a mutual friend tipped off Larry where I was staying), but unfortunately a limo was waiting to take me to JFK. Larry thankfully came to London a few months later, and we finally spent a few hours over drinks at a hotel on The Strand, talking about show business and parenthood (his daughter is a year younger than mine). A few months later, he extended an invitation to help WLIW, the New York public TV station with fundraising live in the studio. Larry accompanied me and my New York friend Debbie Weiss in the limo ride to the Long Island studio, where I was treated like royalty. I was happy to keep that EastEnders flame burning (so what if Cindy died in prison?) because I’m always in favour of doing philanthropic work, even if it means crossing an ocean.
About six months later, Larry calls my mobile in something of a panic: WLIW has decided to cancel the show, and he wants to know if I can do a benefit meet-and-greet, that they need to raise $29,000 in a month or EastEnders will be history in the New York area. It just so happened that I needed to be in Manhattan that week for a screening at the Museum of Modern Art of The Illustrated Mum, an award-winning film that I starred in. Next thing I know, I am walking into a pub in Greenwich Village to the unmistakable sounds of Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back,” which, of course, was what was playing on the Queen Vic’s jukebox when Cindy returned to Albert Square after an absence.
During a Q&A with Larry, I learned that it was Gazette contributor Tim Wilson’s idea to play the song upon my entrance. Tim, who has met probably more EastEnders actors than I have, seems to know more about me than me, and endorses me to become a regular on Desperate Housewives. “Cindy was the original Desperate Housewife!” Tim quips. Obviously, I can’t agree more.
Paparazzi working for tabloids back home picked up on the story of me helping to raise $1,700 that night, and I even got a mention in The New York Times.
I think it was then when I realised how committed Larry and his contributors are to EastEnders. The Walford Gazette is obviously far more than your typical fanzine, and I can’t wait to read Walford State of Mind.
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