Michelle Collins has revealed she ‘never thought’ she would find love in her 50s as she posed for a stunning shoot with Great magazine.
The EastEnders star, 62, told the publication that she was first told by a psychic that she would meet ‘the love of her life’ as she approached her 50th birthday, and would meet her husband Mike Davidson just months later.
Michelle, who married Mike in 2022, also reflected on her surprise decision to return to EastEnders last year after a 25-year absence, saying it ‘feels good’ to be back on the soap as fiery Cindy Beale.
Michelle was revealed as Prima’s cover star in August and reflected on finding love as she approached her 50th birthday, before getting engaged in 2022 after 10 years together.
She said, “I thought it would never happen; I just didn’t think I would ever get married. But Mike and I have been married for two years in August.
Michelle Collins has revealed she ‘never thought’ she would find love at 50 as she posed for a stunning shoot with Prima Magazine
The EastEnders star told the publication that she was first told by a psychic that she would meet ‘the love of her life’ as she approached her 50th birthday.
‘I was almost fifty when we met. A psychic told me I would meet the love of my life when I was almost fifty, and it happened.”
Michelle shares daughter Maria, 27, with her ex-partner Fabrizio Tassalini, who died in 2014 after a battle with liver cancer.
The actress continued, “Life is too short. I have lost my mother and five very close friends in recent years. I’ve had to grieve a lot and it makes you think. Life is what you make of it.’
Reflecting on her return to her iconic role as Cindy Beale, the actress said: ‘It was a big decision to return to EastEnders and I wanted to go back with a good storyline. People love to hate Cindy.
“She’s unapologetic and behaves in a way that you really shouldn’t, but sometimes you can’t help that if you follow your heart and not your gut. And let’s be honest, how many women do that?
‘Now it feels good to be back. I feel comfortable in my own skin, more in the moment. I’m still hard on myself, but I’m in a very different place now.
‘And you don’t see many 62-year-old women getting good TV roles. There are probably four women who get all the roles – and that’s not me, that’s just a fact.’
It comes after Michelle also revealed that Mike is unimpressed by her steamy sex scenes while playing Cindy on EastEnders.
Michelle married her toyboy husband Mike in 2022 after 10 years together
Michelle, who married Mike in 2022, also reflected on her surprise decision to return to EastEnders last year after a 25-year absence
Unveiled as a star on the cover of Prima in August, Michelle reflected on finding love as she approached her 50th birthday, before getting engaged in 2022 after 10 years together.
She said: ‘I was almost 50 when we met. A psychic told me I would meet the love of my life when I was almost 50, and it happened’
The actress spoke to Cat Deeley And Ben Shephard about Mike’s reaction to her character Cindy Beale’s raunchy activities.
Cindy is currently in a relationship with ex-husband Ian Beale, but is also secretly trying to win back second ex-husband, George Knight.
On Tuesday night, Cindy was distraught after yet another rejection from George, and found comfort in the arms of George’s son Junior.
The pair spent the night together, starting with a passionate table scene that Michelle thought was worth telling Mike, 39, about.
Michelle explained: ‘I don’t normally watch the show just because I can’t bear to watch myself, not that there’s anything wrong with the show.
“But I thought I could get a better look at it last night since I was here. And I had kind of warned my husband about what had happened.
“So I said, ‘Do you mind not watching with me? I want to watch it on my own.” So I watched it upstairs on my own first, and he watched it later while catching up.
And he said, “Well, it was okay, it wasn’t really Game Of Thrones, was it?”
The August 2024 issue of Prima is now on sale
This was met with loud laughter from Cat and Ben and Cat said: ‘That’s brilliant from Mike, that’s brilliant.’
Later reflecting on her character, first introduced in 1988, Michelle said: ‘She has become everything we as women are told not to be.
‘She is insecure, too emotional, she loves each other too much. She acts before she thinks about things.
“But I do think that situation happened last night when she was rejected by George, she’s going through a bad time with Ian.
“And I don’t think she manipulated it, but I don’t think Junior manipulated it either. They were both more or less rejected by George….”
Michelle added: “Listen, I don’t understand – and I’m playing her! I have to think about why, why does she do these things?’
When the affair comes to light, Cindy faces major repercussions from George and Ian, with whom she lives.
The August 2024 issue of Prima is now on sale.