EastEnders star Colin Salmon teases mysterious George and Rose Knight marriage

Linda made an unsettling discovery about George's first marriage, which ended abruptly with the disappearance of his wife Rose. The publican is worried for her mother Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), who's now engaged to George and back to Walford to run The Vic.

We know the circumstances of Rose going missing will soon be revealed next week in an extended episode. Ahead of the big twist, Salmon weighed in on how George feels being questioned about his possible involvement in Rose going MIA.

"George is affronted and angry. It's about respect, and George finds it disrespectful, and that makes him cross," he told press including RadioTimes.com.

He continued: "He's like, 'Hang on a minute, you don't know the story, so you've jumped to the wrong conclusion.' But again, George does understand how Phil got to that conclusion, and Linda isn't helping."

Salmon explained that George isn't thrilled to talk about Rose as that would open up some wounds for him.

"George has been living under a cloud. Some people think he killed Rose, so it's been nine years of mystery and heartache on top of suspicion and misunderstanding," he said.

"It's hard if you are a member of a family and your spouse has gone missing, everyone thinks they know what's going on."

Not being believed may take a toll on George, Salmon noted: "Being misunderstood is a nightmare for a straight shooter like George."

Read the full Q and A with George Knight star Colin Salmon below.

Linda continues to be suspicious of George. Is her snooping getting on his nerves?

"I think because George has been through similar things with Rose, he sort of gets it. He has more empathy with Linda than I think people realise because he knows where she's coming from. He is trying to be tolerant because he gets it – the Knights have all just arrived in her life, and it's hard. I mean, the last stranger who moved into The Vic was Janine, and she took Linda's husband."

When does George realise that Linda has been talking to Phil about her Rose suspicions?

"Phil approaches George and tells him what's going down. So, George is like, 'OK, Linda's been talking to Phil,' and that angers him a little bit. George is very conscious of who the alphas are. He thinks it's a bit treacherous of Linda to go to Phil when she could have just asked him. But now she's started to rattle the cage, which for George is a dangerous cage to rattle because it's very, very painful."

Tell us about the sparring in the boxing ring with Phil – does George feel like he might lose control of his temper at any point?

"At first, George is doing the same sequence of jabs, and it's predictable, but then it starts to become unpredictable. Phil starts to test his control, and it's a wonderful meeting of the alphas. In boxing, you don't lose control because if you do, you lose the battle. That was what I was taught in boxing. George should never lose control because that's why he's a champion."

What was it like to film those scenes where you are sparring and doing dialogue at the same time?

"It was great, but it is very difficult to do the two things together! It was a very technical scene, and I learned a lot about being on the show. The scenes I've done with Steve McFadden have been really important. To me, Steve is EastEnders. I trusted him immediately, and that, as an actor, is everything because it means we can go to places knowing we are safe with each other. That's been brilliant because his respect is important to me as an actor, and Phil's respect is important to George as a character."

Was it nice to explore some tension between George and Phil?

"Yeah, of course. Phil is pressing buttons with George. He doesn't know Phil well enough to know why he's doing that. But Phil is testing him and wants to see who George is. Phil is not afraid of asking difficult questions."

When Phil accuses him of not being straight with him? How does that make George feel?

"George is affronted and angry. It's about respect, and George finds it disrespectful, and that makes him cross. He's like, 'Hang on a minute, you don't know the story, so you've jumped to the wrong conclusion.' But again, George does understand how Phil got to that conclusion, and Linda isn't helping. George has been living under a cloud. Some people think he killed Rose, so it's been nine years of mystery and heartache on top of suspicion and misunderstanding. It's hard if you are a member of a family and your spouse has gone missing, everyone thinks they know what's going on."

Do you like the ambiguity surrounding George and Rose's marriage?

"Of course! Conflict is drama, and drama is our business. It's complex! Life is complex, and there are so many things that can send people off on the wrong trajectory. I love the idea of exploring that in drama because the catalyst doesn't have to be some huge thing. It can just be a misunderstanding. It's more real like that. Being misunderstood is a nightmare for a straight shooter like George."

Do you like his role in The Vic and how it's connected him to other people in Walford?

"If you are looking after a pub, you have to listen to everybody. People don't always go to a pub because they are happy. Some people come to the pub because they need to work it out. Publicans have to listen and be beyond judgement. If you run a pub, you should end up wise, and you shouldn't be quick to judge. The pub is a place for tales to be told and then you leave them in the company of strangers. The pub is a sanctuary."

In scenes airing next week, Linda opens up to Phil about her suspicions, with him tasking son-in-law and police detective Callum Highway (Tony Clay) to find out more. A puzzled Callum tells Phil that the police files on Rose Knight are sealed, but George's record is clean - leaving Linda more unsettled.

This leads to a heated confrontation between Phil and George in the boxing den, with the professional boxer almost losing control under the fire of the businessman's questions.

Despite George's providing explanations, a still unconvinced Phil hires his lawyer Ritchie Scott (Sian Webber) to dig up any information on Rose.

Who is Rose Knight, and where is she now? Fans certainly have one massive theory.

Read More

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• EastEnders spoilers: Rose Knight discovery unnerves Linda Carter
• EastEnders boss wants to keep Linda Carter as "heart of the Square"
• EastEnders' Danny Walters worried for Keanu in Christmas flash-forward
• EastEnders' Jamie Borthwick promises Lola "gets the send off she deserves"
• EastEnders' George Knight proposes to Elaine and reveals mystery son
• EastEnders' Colin Salmon on personal reason he took George Knight role
• EastEnders' Kellie Bright fears "everlasting" Linda and Sharon feud
• EastEnders star Kellie Bright: "The show needed a Harriet Thorpe"
• EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw explains the “Knight in Shining Armour”
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