How are David Wicks and Ian Beale related in EastEnders? Why did Cindy have Ian shot?
EastEnders revisited a huge past storyline on the BBC soap this week as David Wicks reunited with Cindy Beale and Ian Beale - but what happened between the trio decades ago?
EastEnders’ David Wicks made his big comeback this week, and he was soon reunited onscreen with Walford legends Ian and Cindy Beale.
Contains spoilers from Tuesday’s iPlayer episode. The trio soon got talking about the past and some historic moments between them, as David spoke of his brother Ian’s reunion with ex-wife Cindy being a shock. But with Ian fearing what David’s return could mean for his relationship, what exactly went on between them?
How is David related to Ian, and why did Cindy have Ian shot all those years ago? David was revealed to be the half-brother of Ian years earlier. David’s mother is Walford icon Pat Butcher, while fans know Kathy Beale is Ian’s mum.
But Ian and David share a father, Pete Beale who died on the BBC soap in 1993, offscreen. Despite the family link, David had no issue with having an affair with Ian’s wife Cindy.
He was left shellshocked when he found out Cindy had hired a hitman to have Ian killed amid their fling. Cindy ended up asking David to run away with her and her kids before she was sent to prison, but he declined and things ended there.
After this Cindy seemingly died in prison, while fans now know this was not the case. David only found this out this week as they came face-to-face for the first time in 20 odd years.
EastEnders’ David Wicks made his big comeback this week (
BBC)
As the pair caught up, David couldn’t hide his shock that Cindy and Ian were back together. He reminded her that the last time they saw each other she’d just had Ian shot and almost killed.
So why did Cindy try to kill Ian? David was losing interest in their affair so Cindy took drastic action to get rid of her husband. She did change her mind but it was too late and Ian was injured.
Ian had already found out at this point about his brother’s affair with his wife, after hiring a private investigator and seeing evidence. He vowed to take Cindy to court and get custody of their children, so at risk of losing them and David she made the ultimate betrayal and hired a hitman.
Cindy ended up fleeing while David stayed behind. Eventually Cindy was caught though and the rest is history. Fast-forward almost 30 years on from her offscreen demise, and David finally found out Cindy was alive the whole time. Fans are now convinced the pair could end up back together, amid Cindy’s affair with Junior Knight.
