Cindy returns to the village
AS CINDY RETURNS, STEPH WARING TELLS US SHE’S READY FOR A BATTLE…
Cindy Savage makes a return to Chester this week, and is hoping for a less dramatic time compared with when she left. But after more than 20 years in Hollyoaks, the village veteran must know that it’s just not possible! So, having departed in the wake of Milo’s killer admission and her daughter Holly’s emotional exit, what drama lies ahead for Cindy?
Soon after her comeback, the woman finds prostitute Donna-marie living in her house with evil Mac. And as Steph Waring – who plays Cindy – tells us, this isn’t a harmonious homecoming.
“It’s not the nicest surprise, is it?” laughs the star, who first played Cindy in 1996. “She finds Donna-marie in her dressing gown with chocolate all over it! I don’t even think Cindy knows who she is! She tries her best to make the best of the situation, and invites Donna-marie out to the Dog for a meal. But when Cindy realises that’s she’s wearing one of Dirk’s shirts, she completely loses it. That’s it as far as she’s concerned!”
Soon, Cindy and Marnie put their differences aside to search for damning evidence to get rid of Donna-marie…
“Marnie and Cindy are frenemies,” sighs Steph. “But they always join forces where their son Alfie is concerned, and they just want rid of Donna-marie – for his sake. But Donna-marie is ballsy! She could beat them at their own game.”
Despite Donna-marie being the new bad girl in town, Steph says that actress Lucy-jo Hudson is the complete opposite to her colourful character.
“I love her! We have fun together,” chuckles Steph. “I’ve known Lucy-jo for a number of years and we laugh a lot. It’s really good to be put in roles where we don’t have to be nice to each other!”
Following the death of Cindy’s husband, Dirk, and the departure of her daughter, Holly, how has Steph found it on set without her old cast mates?
“I was very close to Amanda Clapham [Holly] and David [Kennedy, aka Dirk] – they were my best friends,” she admits. “It is hard sometimes not having them here – there are two holes in Hollyoaks!”
So as something of a new chapter for both Cindy and Steph, what does the star see her alter ego doing next?
“She’s done so much already!” says Steph. “She’s been married six times, she has children, she’s killed someone, and she has bipolar. I’d like to think it would be something that challenged me. There’s life in the old dog yet!”