EastEnders Cindy Beale's attacker 'exposed' as she lets slip one name in huge twist

EastEnders has unveiled another twist in the 'who attacked Cindy Beale' plotline as she was awakened from her medically induced coma in the most recent episode.

In scenes now available on BBC iPlayer and set to air on BBC One on Thursday night (January 9), Peter Beale (played by Thomas Law) discovered his sisters Anna (Molly Rainford) and Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) attempting to dispose of evidence that George Knight (Colin Salmon) participated in an unlawful fight.

The sisters were compelled to reveal their father George's secret, leading to suspicions that he might have been the one who assaulted Cindy. Despite this revelation, Peter remained sceptical about George's guilt, unconvinced that he was the one who hit his mother with a shovel on Christmas night.

However, Gina suggested that the person most embarrassed by Cindy was Peter's father, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Anna also highlighted that Ian had not been visiting Cindy in the hospital.

Later, Peter confronted Ian about his absence from the hospital, implying that it made him appear guilty. Ian seemed indifferent, but Peter maintained that he knew Ian still harboured feelings for Cindy, despite her actions, and therefore did not believe his father was the perpetrator, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Left alone, Ian received a call from Cindy's doctor, informing him that Cindy had been brought out of her medically induced coma.

Ian's expression fell as he was charged with the task of informing his family about the latest twist. Meanwhile, Cindy awoke in her hospital bed and whispered a single name: "Ian..." This has left viewers questioning whether Cindy witnessed Ian's violent act or if her words are a declaration of love, despite the pain they've caused each other.

EastEnders has dropped a significant hint suggesting Ian might have been behind Cindy's attack, but fans remain sceptical that the owner of Beale's Eels is the assailant.

After Thursday's episode aired online, viewers took to X, previously known as Twitter, to share their theories. One viewer wrote: "On the Cindy front I'm more convinced than ever that George is covering up for Kojo after seeing him kill her."

Another suggested: "#EastEnders Reiss could of smacked Cindy."

A third chimed in: "Ngl I hope it's Peter that hit Cindy. At least make it interesting #EastEnders."

The wait is nearly over for fans eager to discover who attacked Cindy, with the revelation set to occur during EastEnders' 40th anniversary week. Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw commented on the plot, saying: "Our 40th anniversary storylines have been in the works for some time, but even at the very start of planning, we knew that we wanted to reveal the identity of Cindy's attacker as part of this."

"Many characters currently find themselves in the line of question, but over the coming weeks, the audience can look out for clues themselves to who may be the culprit. Cindy's attacker reveal is just one of many stories we have planned for the anniversary as it is set to be a week of explosive drama for the audience to remember."

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am