EastEnders star Michelle Collins has reached out to a fan who collapsed during her Edinburgh Fringe performance.
The actress, 63, first appeared as devious Cindy Beale in 1988, with her most recent stint kicking off in 2023.
Despite being presumed dead for 25 years, the schemer made a shock return and revealed she had been in witness protection.
Now, swapping The Square for the stage, she’s appearing in one woman show Motorhome Marilyn at the Fringe throughout August.
The play – which is set in the 80s – follows a woman named Denise who aspires to be a Hollywood actress and follow in the footsteps of her idol Marilyn Monroe.
She eventually makes the trip to Tinseltown, but her dreams are crushed and she’s forced to confront the reality of her life.
The character is based upon a real life encounter between Michelle and a woman who went by the name of Motorhome Marilyn.
During a performance on Saturday night, the show had to be stopped just moments before its conclusion after an audience member fell ill. According to those watching, Michelle paused the show to offer water from the stage set.
The following day, Michelle seemed delighted to receive an update from the unwell woman, who said she had made a full recovery.
‘Hello, I am the one who fainted in the front row last night,’ they began.
‘First off, I am so sorry for ruining the end of your show. Second you were phenomenal and what I saw was amazing. And third, thank you for the water.
‘Hope to come back and see the end!’
Michelle responded: ‘I am so relieved. Just seen this – I was only asking just now if anyone had heard anything about you. I hope it wasn’t me talking about what I did that made you ill!
‘It was all very worrying. Please let me know if you would like to come back I’ll give you a seat and a hug.’
Theatre reviewer @therecsuk jumped into the conversation to praise Michelle for her quick-thinking.
‘Wanted to send a message to @missmcollins from us and all the audience around me,’ they wrote.
‘We all chatted how gutted we were for you as your performance was mesmerising – but also how wonderfully kind and quick thinking you were to offer the poorly audience member some water from the set.
‘We will be back to see you again!’
Motorhome Marilyn concludes on 25th August, with Michelle expected to have taken a short break to facilitate her new project, that will be reflected in EastEnders during the autumn.
