Michelle Collins insists soaps give opportunities to actresses 'of a certain age' while Jessie Wallace hits back at TV 'snobbery' as the women of Walford celebrate EastEnders' 40th Anniversary

The leading ladies of Walford have reflected on their time working on the soap, as EastEnders approaches it's 40th anniversary. To celebrate the milestone, Radio Times has released seven different covers featuring the iconic women who star in the beloved BBC show. Michelle Collins, who plays the role of Cindy Beale, revealed that that while TV often doesn't favour women over a certain age, soaps like EastEnders give them a voice and share their stories.

The actress, 61, starred in the soap opera from 1988 until 1998 and reprised her role last year. She told the publication: 'TV isn't great for women of a certain age, but soaps are. What EastEnders and characters like Cindy show is that we have got voices, we have got stories – and they should be heard. 'I loved it for the first few years. When I came back in the 90s, I was in my early 30s and very ambitious, I never saw myself there for the future.'.

The leading ladies of Walford have relfected on their time working on the soap, as EastEnders approaches it's 40th anniversary (Michelle Collins pictured as Cindy Beale). To celebrate the milestone, Radio Times has released seven different covers featuring the iconic women who star in the BBC soap (Jessie Wallace pictured as Kat Slater). She continued: 'Now I'm back again, I'm happier to stay. I think I'm more comfortable in my own skin, more content, and I'm not running away all the time. I've certainly grown, and hopefully I'm a better actor.'.

Meanwhile, Jessie Wallace, 53, first joined the show back in 2000 and has been embroiled in some huge storylines over the years - most notably the bombshell reveal that her character Kat Slater is the real mum of her 'sister' Zoe. Reflecting on her time on the show, she said: 'I came in as the troublemaker of a new family and didn’t know she would become as big as she has. 'Kat has developed over the years and I love dressing up as her, she makes such a statement with the red lipstick and the mini-skirts.'.

Lifting the lid on 'soap snobbery,' she continued: I don’t understand it. You get huge film actors coming in and they don’t realise how hard it is to produce what we do. 'I remember Joan Collins presenting at the British Soap Awards and saying, ‘A successful actor is a working actor.' Soaps are a fabulous thing to be a part of.'. The other stars featuring on the Radio Times special covers are Gillian Taylforth (Kathy Beale), Diane Parish (Denise Fox), Kellie Bright (Linda Carter), Balvinder Sopal (Suki Panesar-Unwin), and Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts).

Letita Dean admitted she didn't think EastEnders would last more than a few months, nevermind 40 years. And Balvinder Sopal, who joined Albert Square in 2020 as Suki Panesar, and has been a fans' favourite since then, believes soaps allow for a 'nuance in female characters'. Michelle Collins , who plays the role of Cindy Beale, revealed that that while TV often doesn't favour women over a certain age, soaps like EastEnders give them a voice and share their stories.

Meanwhile, Jessie Wallace , 53, first joined the show back in 2000 and has been embroiled in some huge storylines over the years. Balvinder Sopal, who joined Albert Square in 2020 as Suki Panesar, and has been a fans' favourite since then, believes soaps allow for a 'nuance in female characters'. Letita Dean admitted she didn't think EastEnders would last more than a few months, nevermind 40 years. It comes just after EastEnders bosses have answered the prayers of their fans as they have made a huge announcement to celebrate their upcoming 40th anniversary.

Starting from Monday, every episode of the iconic soap opera will not only air on BBC One but will also be dropped simultaneously on BBC iPlayer. To celebrate the anniversary, the soap will air a special hour-long episode on Wednesday, February, 20, which will then be following by a full live episode on Thursday February 21. And this is not the only treat soap bosses have surprised fans with to celebrate the milestone as they also announced a new spin-off show which Walford legend Ross Kemp will host for the soap's 40th anniversary.

EastEnders: 40 Years on The Square, a documentary that tracks iconic moments from the show over the years, will see a string of iconic stars return to screens. To mark the occasion, the hour-long BBC One special will dive behind the scenes to access some of its most poignant storylines from the last four decades. The new spin-off will be fronted by actor and presenter Ross Kemp, best known to EastEnders viewers as the infamous Grant Mitchell.

Some of the storylines explored will see Kat's historical abuse storyline as well as Mark Fowler and Zack's HIV diagnoses. It will also share behind-the-scenes insight as Ross speaks to some of the actors directly involved in those storylines. Many of them tackled themes and issues that had never been featured on primetime British TV before. It comes just after EastEnders bosses have answered the prayers of their fans as they have made a huge announcement to celebrate their upcoming 40th anniversary.