After two months of mystery, EastEnders confirmed that it was in fact Kathy who attacked and left Cindy Beale for dead on Christmas Day. In surprise scenes, as Cindy pointed a gun at Ian after finding him with her locket – which was snatched from her when she was attacked on Christmas Day. Ian, who was being threatened with a gun by Cindy then claimed it was Peter who attacked her. However, Ian's mum Kathy then rushed in and confessed to Cindy that she was the one who attacked her with the snow shovel in the Square, wanting her dead for what she'd done to Ian.
Throughout the two months there had been nine suspects, including her children Peter, Gina and Anna, as well as her ex husband George and lover Junior, who is also George's son. In a show first, the actors all sat down together to find out who was the real attacker, as Gillian Taylforth, who plays Kathy admitted she was "shocked" when she found out.
"Chris asked us all to come in for a meeting so he could tell us altogether which was great fun," she recalled. "We wouldn’t usually all find out as a group, but with it being the anniversary, they wanted to tell us together. None of us knew anything before that point, but apparently they all thought it was me anyway!.
"I had a tiny suspicion it could have been Kathy, only because it’s no secret that there is no love lost between her and her daughter-in-law, but I was shocked when I found out!," the soap actress admitted. Like all fans, Gillian had her own theories, as she revealed she was "convinced" it was Peter or Ian who had brutally attacked Cindy.
"I thought the tables would have turned and Ian would have a go at getting his own back on Cindy, or that Peter would have reacted on behalf of his dad," she revealed. "I even thought it could have been Junior at one point as Cindy humiliated him in the pub and he was lurking in the shadows on Christmas night." Of course, Tuesday night's reveal was just the beginning, as Gillian teased: "Tonight’s episode is just the beginning of what’s to come, it doesn’t end here.".
After Kathy's reveal, things went from bad to worse. The commotion started back at the Beale's residence, when Cindy 'accidentally' shot Ian in the arm with Phil Mitchell's gun. As they made their way outside, Cindy pushed Ian in front of a panicked Reiss' car, as he told her he'd "make her life a living hell" if she went to the police.
Reiss' car then swerved into the Vic, where he crashed into gas cans, causing a huge explosion which will have devastating consequences for the Square... EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.* Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
