Every EastEnders clue and fan theory which proved that Rose Knight was really Cindy Beale all along

EASTENDERS fans got one heck of a 'duff duff' last night when Cindy Beale returned from the dead.

The character - played by Michelle Collins - was believed to have died 26 years ago.

But in the final seconds of Wednesday's show, she was revealed to be alive and well in France, having taken on the new identity of Rose Knight.

The big reveal came as Walford newcomer George Knight - played by Colin Salmon - tried to ring his ex-wife.

As the phone rang for George, his name was then seen flashing up on Rose's phone as she lay by a pool, before the final shot revealed Rose is actually Cindy.

EastEnders bosses have confirmed they have been working on the shock storyline since last summer, and have dropped a number of clues about Rose's real identity in recent weeks since the Knight family arrived in Albert Square.

Fans also had their own theories that pointed to Cindy being alive after all, so here's a roundup of all the key clues.

The dead rose

When George Knight and his two daughters arrived in Albert Square, one of them handed a rose to Linda Carter.

However, the flower died within seconds of her handing it over, before it came back to life in another trailer.

Fans believe it was one of the first clues that Rose was "returning from the dead".

Considering Cindy was believed to have died off-screen 26 years ago, some consider that the first clue that the two characters were linked.

Name game

Cindy already had four children; Steven, twins Lucy and Peter and Cindy, who was born off-screen and survived despite her mother supposedly dying in child birth.

But now she has been revealed as Rose Knight, Cindy also has two more children, daughters Gina and Anna Knight.

EastEnders fans believe Gina being one of Rose's daughter's names was a hint she could be Cindy, as Cindy has a sister with the same name.

Disappearing act

Very little was known about Rose Knight before last night's big reveal.

But one thing that was shared with viewers was that Rose mysteriously disappeared from George's life around nine years ago, in roughly 2014.

However, now her identity is out in the open, fans have realised her disappearance coincides with the time when her daughter Lucy was killed. Could that be the reason she left?

Private investigation

Back in 1997, the Mitchell brothers headed to Italy with Ian and hired a private investigator to try and find Cindy.

The investigator was called Ros Thorne, and recent trailers had the tag line "every Rose has a thorn".

Longtime EastEnders fans felt this was the biggest clue yet that Rose was connected to Cindy after recalling the Ros Thorne name.

EastEnders continues tonight at 7.30pm on BBC One.