EastEnders' Anna Knight learns of 'Rose' mystery as Cindy story continues

But almost a decade ago, Cindy left her new family. She reunited with first husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) about a year ago in France, and got to know their son Peter (Thomas Law) again.

Meanwhile, George has now learned that the woman he knew as Rose never actually existed, and tonight he booked a flight to Marbella to try to obtain some answers.

When George's fiancée Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) questioned why he was going, he lied that he was visiting son 'George Junior' in Spain. But Anna and Gina later revealed that their brother was still in Dubai.

As George confided in new pal Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Phil sympathised with his dilemma, explaining that he once got together with a woman who was actually an undercover cop – one of Phil's wives, who fans will recall as Kate Morton.

Elaine confronted George over his fib, and he revealed what he had heard about 'Rose'. George insisted that he didn't want his ex back, but merely wanted answers. He then went back on his plans and decided to stay in Walford, but when Anna overheard George saying that his girls couldn't find out what was going on, he was forced to tell her that Rose wasn't, in fact, Rose.

Fearful of how Gina would react, George insisted that Anna must keep quiet – but of course, they're both unaware that the former Mrs Knight is actually Cindy, who will be making her way back to Walford later this summer.

While we wait to find out how Anna handles George's bombshell, let's delve into Phil's reference to his past, back when he found himself in a similar situation to George. So, who exactly was Kate?

Who was Kate and what happened to her?

Back in 2002, Phil was saying his goodbyes to his dying godson Jamie Mitchell (Jack Ryder) at the hospital when he met a woman called Kate (played by Jill Halfpenny). After Jamie's death, Kate supported a devastated Phil, and the pair soon got together. But although her real surname was Morton, she introduced herself as Kate Tyler, telling Phil she was a nail technician.

Kate was actually an undercover policewoman, tasked with helping boss DCI Jill Marsden (Sophie Stanton) and DI Dominic Price (Paul Brennen) set up a honeytrap to get Phil to confess to murdering his ex, Lisa Fowler (Lucy Benjamin). But Kate ruined the plan by falling in love with Phil, before being sacked by Marsden. When Phil learned her true identity, he ended their romance and threatened to kill her if he ever saw her again.

But of course, the tale didn't end there. Kate was later tasked with investigating Albert Square's gangster kingpin of the time, Jack Dalton (Hywel Bennett), and went undercover as his secretary. Jack soon discovered her police role and planned to have her killed, sending someone to rape and kill Kate.

However, Phil had, by coincidence, been visiting Jack to see how his criminal activities affected the locals – and he came to Kate's rescue when he learned of the danger she was now in. Phil persuaded Kate not to involve the police while he dealt with her attackers, and he later forgave her and they resumed their relationship.

Kate eventually quit the police, and set up a business in the form of a nail salon. She and Phil got engaged; but on their wedding day, Lisa appeared at the reception, alive and well and determined to regain access to Louise, the young daughter she shared with Phil. Although Phil had obviously not murdered Lisa as had been suspected, he had previously left her broken after a vicious cycle of coercive control.

Lisa joined forces with Phil's enemy Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) so she could take custody of Louise, so Den coaxed Phil into committing armed robbery with him. Den set up Phil to take the fall, and Phil was jailed. As Kate realised the role Phil had played in the crime, she handed Louise over to her mum. Kate ended her marriage, but Phil escaped prison and made a fragile peace with her before he went on the run.

Single again, Kate went into business with Den's hairdresser wife Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman), only to then start an affair with Den. Chrissie found out, but didn't reveal what she knew until she was cutting Kate's hair, doing a deliberately bad job. It's so hard to find a good hairdresser these days!

When Kate was offered a new job with the police in 2005, she accepted it and moved to Brighton for a fresh start, never to be seen in Walford again. Phil, meanwhile, earned his freedom back, but naturally still finds himself at odds with the police from time to time. Phil's son-in-law Callum Highway (Tony Clay) was once forced to investigate him on the sly, while DCI Keeble (Alison Newman) swore revenge but ultimately failed.

This sudden mention of Kate after all these years, though, has got us wondering if the character may be relevant in the twists and turns of this ongoing story, given the police's involvement. Could Kate make a comeback? Anything could happen!

Read more:

• EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw on “different” Cindy and Ian reunion
• EastEnders' explosive Cindy Beale comeback is a campy soap triumph
• EastEnders' Ian Beale has heart attack and keeps huge secret from Cindy
• Will Jacqueline Jossa return full-time to EastEnders as Lauren Branning?
• 15 EastEnders questions we still have after Cindy and Ian Beale's return

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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