EastEnders airs major bombshell for Cindy Beale plot in early iPlayer edition

With Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) arrested for Cindy's attempted murder, she was quizzed by DCI Arthurs (Ian Burfield), and instantly denied the accusation that she was at the scene of the incident.

Meanwhile, at The Queen Vic, Mo Harris (Laila Morse) proved she wasn't too long in the tooth for a distasteful bet about the real culprit!

But most intriguing of all was an odd exchange between Cindy's daughter Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) and Mo's great-grandson Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier).

Gina and Freddie discussed the fact that "no one knows anything", with Gina worried about the police asking more questions.

Gina's father George (Colin Salmon) checked his alibi with brother Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho), overheard by the former's other daughter Anna (Molly Rainford).

At the police station, Peter Beale (Thomas Law) realised that mum Cindy's words were directly behind Lauren's arrest, and ordered Cindy to take back her statement. But Cindy insisted she was telling the truth.

In the interview room, Lauren was defensive; but Arthurs took a rather inappropriate line with his questioning when he brought Lauren's addiction recovery into the mix, leaving her guilty over her reliance on painkillers.

Just as Lauren was about to open up about the night Cindy was attacked, her solicitor ridiculed Cindy's flimsy statement and the lack of evidence.

Lauren was bailed and released from custody, and returned home with Peter. But with the reminders of her lessons in recovery ringing in her ears, Lauren revealed that Cindy wasn't lying - she was there after Cindy was attacked.

Admitting that she was the one to turn the unconscious Cindy over, Lauren explained that she ran away soon after, leaving the woman for dead.

After the Christmas Day drama, Lauren took the pills Cindy had tried to offer her, so her memory of that night was patchy.

Flashes of that evening were still coming back to her, and Lauren was terrified that she could have been the one to hit Cindy after all. But did she?

Read more:

• EastEnders airs long-awaited return for iconic character in early BBC iPlayer release
• EastEnders confirms Nigel Bates's secret behind return in early BBC iPlayer release
• EastEnders 2025 preview: 12 spoilers for the year ahead
• 5 EastEnders spoilers next week: Lauren Branning arrested for Cindy Beale's attempted murder
• EastEnders airs shock discovery for the Knights in early iPlayer release
• 8 EastEnders characters who should have a huge 2025 - from Ravi Gulati to Nicola Mitchell

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday 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.