EastEnders legend reveals the real, unexpected love of Ian's life (2024)

Adam Woodyatt has revealed the true love of Ian Beale’s life in EastEnders – and it isn’t who you might think!

The legendary soap star has appeared in the BBC One soap since its inception in 1985.

But during an interview with ITV This Morning’s soap queen Sharon Marshall today (22nd April), he revealed that he almost didn’t get the role.

‘In May 1984, you are invited to audition…’ she began.

‘And I couldn’t make it’ he chirped in.

‘They [the producers] phoned up and said “can you get in for an audition tomorrow morning?” and I was like “no”. I physically could not get there on time, so the audition went.’

Sharon continued: ‘But two months later they got hold of you!’

Whilst clips of his earliest scenes played out, he began to recall a time he was forced to come back into work to rerecord scenes that he and co-stars Susan Tully (Michelle Fowler) and Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) had struggled to film due to laughing.

‘Around about episode 20, Michelle had invented this fake boyfriend and we all got the giggles on the Friday, and they sent us all home and we had to come in on the Saturday to rehearse the scenes.’

The conversation then turned to the many, many loves of Ian Beale.

During the last four decades, the businessman has been married six times, to five different women, and been engaged to a further two Walford ladies.

His first wife, Cindy (Michelle Collins), returned last year after twenty five years of being presumed dead.

She had been placed into a witness protection scheme after giving evidence against fellow inmate Jackie Ford, and during her time away had forged a new family with husband George Knight (Colin Salmon) and gave birth to two daughters, Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford).

As shown in specially filmed flashback scenes, Cindy placed their future in jeopardy when she returned to Albert Square ten years ago in the wake of her daughter Lucy’s (Hetti Bywater) death.

She had been brutally murdered by half-brother Bobby (then Eliot Carrington), who Ian had fathered with third wife Laura (Hannah Waterman) and his fourth wife Jane (Laurie Brett) had helped to cover up the ordeal.

Are you keeping up?

‘After so many years on Eastenders, its no surprise that Ian has racked up so many wives and girlfriends’ Sharon commented.

‘Mandy (Nicola Stapleton), Denise (Diane Parish), Rainie (Tanya Franks), Dawn (Kara Tointon)’ Adam recalled.

Sharon was quick to chirp in: ‘Janine (Charlie Brooks) once as well!’

‘A couple of times but I had to pay…’ he smirked.

But then the all important question was asked – just who does Adam consider the love of Ian’s life?

Without hesitation, he said: ‘Do you even need to really ask? Cindy. I think for Ian, it’s always been Cindy. I think Jane’s probably the best choice for him. But the love of his life without doubt is Cindy.’

The two also reflected on his friendship with Anna Wing, who played his on-screen grandmother Lou Beale until 1988.

Describing her as ‘brill’ and ‘fantastic’, and pointing out the picture of her on the wall of the Beale’s Eels set, he remarked about the time that she put him at ease during the first ever ‘Julia’s Theme’.

The specially recorded version of the theme tune, named after original producer Julia Smith, is used in place of the usual ‘doof doofs’ when an episode concludes on a more emotional note, such as a death or someone reflecting.

‘The first time we had Julia’s Theme was in episode 16, and it was when Ian was crying to his gran about his dad bullying him’ he explained.

‘I was cackling myself, wondering “how am I going to cry?” then I saw Anna during the lunch break and she said “don’t worry about it, it’ll come”.

‘Then the tears came and I don’t know if Julia had planned [the music] for that scene or for how the scene went, [but it] evolved from it. It was beautiful.’

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