Michelle Collins still gets "Cindy" shouted to her in the street.
The 58-year-old actress departed her iconic ‘EastEnders’ role as Cindy Beale 21 years ago, but it’s still her most well known role and what she frequently gets recognised for.
Michelle – who also played Stella Price in rival soap ‘Coronation Street’ from 2011 to 2014 – told OK! magazine: "When I went into ‘Corrie’, it brought the whole ‘EastEnders’ thing back again.
"Not a day goes by without people shouting ‘Cindy!’ in the street.
"People loved her because she behaved in a way that women didn’t behave on TV then."
But despite the public loving her performance, the actress can’t bear to watch back old episodes of the BBC soap.
She said: "I can’t bear watching old episodes of ‘EastEnders’. It makes me cringe."
Although Michelle enjoyed her time on both soaps, she doesn’t miss it and while she thinks the long-running serial dramas provide great training, she’d always advise other actors not to stay in one for too long.
Asked if she misses the security of soap, she said: "Not really. I’ve always loved being a jobbing actor.
"I tell young people who I mentor, maybe do a soap, but don’t stay too long.
"It’s great grounding for learning your craft, learning lines quickly and knowing how to behave on set."
Michelle’s daughter, 22-year-old Maya – who she has with late former partner Fabrizio Tassalini – has hopes of following in her mother’s footsteps, much to her disappointment.
She said: "She wants to be an actress. I think she’s too clever to be an actress.
"She got a first class degree in history.
"I was like, ‘No, please don’t be an actor.’ It’s so precarious.
"But I have to stop myself being an interfering parent. She’s determined to do it on her own, which I admire, but eventually she’ll come to me."
Michelle Collins gets recognised daily for her EastEnders role
