EASTENDERS legend Michelle Collins was left “gutted and worried” after being forced to halt her stage performance when an audience member collapsed mid-show.
The star, 63, was appearing in a live production of Motorhome Marilyn when paramedics rushed in, leaving Michelle and the crowd shaken.
Sign up for the EastEnders newsletter
4
4
Michelle made her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with a darkly funny new play inspired by a real-life encounter Michelle had in LA.
The show, penned by Ben Weatherill (of Frank and Percy fame), follows Denise – a struggling actress obsessed with Marilyn Monroe.
As Denise’s Hollywood dream fades, she’s forced to face the emotional toll of chasing fame, from ageing and rejection to identity and ambition.
Michelle, best known for her iconic telly roles in EastEnders, Corrie, and Doctor Who, called the show “so close to my heart”.
She said: “When I encountered the show’s real-life namesake out in LA, I couldn’t have imagined that journey would lead me to this point.
“However, thanks to Ben’s, and my late friend Stuart’s, wonderful writing, I can’t wait to share this story with Edinburgh audiences this summer.”
But the emotional performance took a real-life turn when audience members gasped as someone collapsed mid-show.
Michelle was visibly shaken as medics rushed in.
She later admitted to feeling “gutted and worried,” saying she hoped the affected theatre-goer made a full recovery after they reached out on social media.
Taking to X, Michelle replied: “I am so relieved just seen this I was only asking just now if anyone had heard anything about you, I hope it wasn’t me talking about what I did that made you ill.
EastEnders icon facing sack after 40 years amid fan backlash
“It was all very worrying, please let me know if you would like to come back I’ll give you a seat and a hug x.”
A friend of the ill theatre-goer responded: “Aww thank you that’s really kind. Yeah she gave us all a bit of a fright!
“As I said the event staff were so brilliant and really looked after her until the paramedics came.
“She’s mostly upset that Michelle had to abandon the end of the show – hope she’s ok too!”
Most complained about soap storylines
Over the years, all three of the main soaps have featured plots that have had even die-hard fans reaching for their phones and laptops so they can get in touch with Ofcom and complain. Here are just some of the most scandalous…
- EastEnders baby theft: 13,400 Ofcom complaints – Back in 2011, EastEnders was flooded with complaints when Ronnie Branning (RIP) swapped her baby for the dead son of Kat Moon. The storyline drew the most number of objections in the soap’s long history and saw it roundly criticised by campaigners – with 13,400 flying in over the course of the storyline. Some viewers called it “distressing” and “horrific” but Ofcom ruled the scenes were not “unduly disturbing”.
- Emmerdale dog-napping: 550 Ofcom complaints – Back in 2016, Ross Barton and Charity Dingle came up with a plan to steal a dog and hold it ransom – but viewers didn’t like it one bit. The nation’s pet owners rose up, insisting the storyline would encourage copycats (not to mention copydogs). Complaints over two episodes totalled a staggering 550 and soap writers quickly learnt you don’t mess with animal-lovers.
- Coronation Street double murder: 546 Ofcom complaints – Marginally less people complained about a gruesome double murder than objected to a dog-napping plot when Pat Phelan was at the centre of a spate of killings. First he forced Andy Carver to shoot dead Vinny Ashford – and then Pat killed Andy. All the bloodshed back in 2017 proved to be too much for some viewers, who lodged complaints in vast numbers about the “violent scenes”.
Michelle answered: “Phew, so happy she is ok as we didn’t find out anything, god don’t worry about the end of the play more important she is ok I was very worried indeed we all were.
“Maybe she can come and just pop her head in for the end? It’s a good ending too! Xxx”.
Motorhome Marilyn is running at Doonstairs, Gilded Balloon Patter House, from 30 July to 25 August 2025.
Meanwhile, EastEnders bosses have let Michelle have a month off from the soap to star in the play.
As well as playing the Walford villain, actress Michelle also runs a firm called It Worx Limited – which she started in 1996.
It takes in cash from her telly work and its bottom line has been swelled by money from her lucrative EastEnders contract.
The business was down to £20,000 just before she inked her new deal.
But figures sent to Companies House and published this week for the 12 months to March this year show cash reserves of almost £200,000.
And she has a Corporation Tax bill of £69,694 – meaning her earnings were around five times that sum.
The actress first joined EastEnders as scheming Cindy in 1988 for a two-year stint.
She returned in 1992 for six years before taking a longer break.
She thrilled fans with a shock comeback to the BBC soap after a 25-year hiatus in 2023.
Even though Michelle was thrilled when the show’s former executive producer Chris Clenshaw asked her to come back to Albert Square, the star wasn’t sure how Cindy would be received by viewers.
Speaking at the TRIC Awards at Grosvenor House in London, Michelle said: “I didn’t know if people would be happy that she was back. I really didn’t know, you have to take that risk!
“But, I think she’s gone down quite well. I think people are liking her.
“People don’t want to see nice Cindy. She was nice for a while, and they don’t want to see nice Cindy – I promise you, they don’t!
“Sometimes I’ll pick up the scripts, and I’ll go, ‘Oh no, you can’t. Really? Having an affair with his son? No, it’ll be fine, people love her.'”
4
4
