Cindy Cunningham

Hailing from a dramatic family, Cindy's problems were often overshadowed by those of her siblings: Dawn, Jude and Max. Her life was changed forever when she fell pregnant by boyfriend Lee Stanley at the age of sixteen, secretly giving birth to a daughter - Holly - at Christmas 1997, two months after Stan's death. Her attempts to abandon the baby proved futile when her parents discovered her secret and brought her back to Cindy, and Cindy was forced into motherhood.

Cindy struggled with the sudden shift in the direction of her life, and ended up in an abusive relationship with Sean Tate. The relationship only ended when Sean stole Holly's savings and left alone for Tenerife, which Cindy's new boyfriend Matt Musgrove later recovered. However, Sean's abuse of Holly put Cindy on social service's radar and after Holly swallowed an ecstasy tablet in the office of The Loft, Cindy fled the village to live with Jude in Spain.

Whilst in Spain, Cindy developed a sudden appetite for money. Following her father's death in 2004, Cindy tried to sell the house from under Max and step-sister Mandy's noses, leaving when Mandy sold Washed Up. In 2008, she turned up ahead of Max's wedding to Steph Dean with a piñata of stolen money from her ex-boyfriend Philip. After Max's death, Cindy remained in the village, marrying Tony Hutchinson for his money (only to find he wasn't as rich as she thought), and later elderly millionaire Alistair Longford.

Following Alistair's death, Mandy's scam and a series of poor financial choices left Cindy penniless and brought her back down to earth. A one-night stand with Paul Browning left her pregnant - history repeating itself as Browning died in October 2013 and their son Hilton was born in February 2014. In 2015, Cindy was reunited with long-lost son Alfie Nightingale, conceived during an affair with Mac Nightingale in 2001.

Most recently, Cindy has gone into business with half-brother Tom Cunningham, opening The Cunningham Grande Bazaar in honour of Mr. C and Tom and Mandy's late mother Helen. Cindy matured further she became the carer of her fiancé Luke Morgan when he developed dementia, dying in June 2022.

Biography[]

1981-1995: Early Life[]

Cindy was the third child of Gordon and Angela Cunningham, born just over a year before her youngest sibling Max. Gordon and Angela were hit by marital issues in the early-1990s and decided to divorce in 1991, around the time Dawn had a baby by Jack Osborne, the father of her best friend Ruth. Gordon and Angela's divorce was bitter and Cindy and Max continued to feel the effects from it years later.

1995-1998: Pregnancy and Parenthood Struggles[]

Following her separation from Gordon, Angela began a relationship with Terry Williams - a man who none of her children took a liking to. In December 1995, Cindy accompanied Dawn and her friends on a trip to Alton Towers. In June 1996, Cindy and Max were subject to a custody battle between Gordon and Angela. The kids remained with Angela, supporting her after she was diagnosed with breast cancer before new husband Terry fled, leaving her with his £55,000 debt. Later in the year, Cindy befriended Mandy Richardson and the pair began going on double dates with Ollie Benson and Lee "Stan" Stanley. The pair decided to go on the contraceptive pill so they could sleep with their boyfriends, but Cindy confessed that she hadn't taken the pill after sleeping with Stan on her sixteenth birthday.

After not getting her period, Mandy convinced Cindy to take a pregnancy test, which returned positive. Cindy attempted to tell her family, but the family seemingly had no time to listen to her. She decided to keep the pregnancy quiet, lying to Mandy that she had an abortion. However, in October 1997, Cindy told Stan the truth and coldly rejecting him. Stan then got drunk and died, along with Ollie, in a car accident. After his death, Cindy attempted to throw herself down the stairs to cause a miscarriage.

On Christmas Day, Cindy gave birth to a daughter in the office of Got It Taped, abandoning the baby at a hospital canteen. She then returned home and discovered that Dawn had died. Merely minutes after Dawn's funeral, Cindy collapsed and the doctor informed the shocked family that Cindy had developed an infection after giving birth. After Gordon retrieved the baby, named Holly by the hospital staff, Cindy decided to have Holly adopted. However, Angela disapproved and was adamant that Holly would remain with the family.

Cindy ended up developing post-natal depression and passed Holly onto anyone who wanted her - even Max! Eventually forced to spend time with Holly, Cindy ended up attempting to suffocate her with a pillow. Jude ended up walking in and stopping her, rushing Holly to hospital. In the aftermath, Cindy realised that she couldn't bare to lose Holly and began accepting her.

1998-2000: Abusive Relationship with Sean and Exit[]

After bonding with him over the struggles when Mandy went missing, Cindy had a short relationship in September 1998, ending when Mandy was found alive in London. In January 1999, Cindy began a relationship with decorator Sean Tate. Neglecting to tell him about Holly, Cindy began neglecting her daughter to Gordon's fury. Angela had concerns about Sean, whilst Sean made a move on Mandy, which she rejected but decided against telling Cindy about. Unbeknownst to Cindy, Sean began abusing Holly when left alone with her, but Cindy accused Max and believed that he was trying to cause trouble. She joined Sean when he moved to a caravan park in Wales in September 1999.

On Guy Fawkes Night, Holly sustained a serious burn on her hand from touching a firework, ultimately resulting in social services forming an interest around Cindy and Holly. Gordon and Max brought Cindy back to Chester, but she ended up leaving again to be with Sean. In December 1999, Sean accepted a job in Tenerife and Cindy planned to go with him. However, after discovering that Holly needed a passport, Sean abandoned her at the airport and left with Holly's savings.

Cindy began a relationship with Matt Musgrove in 2000. After Max encountered Sean in Chester in May 2000, Matt decided to scam Sean and get Holly's savings back. Pretending to ask for Sean's help starting out as a DJ, Matt began working with Sean and borrowed the Hollyoaks FM sampler to sell to him. After Sean gave him the money, Matt swapped it for a house brick. Sean arrived at 12 Tatton Crescent to confront Cindy and Gordon sent him away, but not before a slap from Cindy!

Cindy and Matt eventually split up, and Cindy started helping step-mother - Mandy's mother Helen Cunningham - with her new business Steam Team. In August 2000, Cindy fell for Ben Davies and competed with Mandy for his affections, with Ben ultimately choosing Cindy. Cindy also began working at The Loft but brought Holly into work with her. In the office, Holly ended up finding and swallowing an ecstasy tablet and suffered a seizure. When social services got involved again, Cindy feared that Holly would be removed from her care and Ben helped her flee the village. Stealing Tony Hutchinson's car, Cindy ended up running over Anna Green but left her for dead to get to the airport. She then left to join Jude in Spain.

2000-2008: Intervening Years[]

In April 2001, Cindy e-mailed Mandy to tell her that she'd begun dating a man named Pete, but they ended up separating some point afterwards. Later, Cindy began working as a pole dancer at a strip club, where she met Savannah Madeiros. Savannah began using Holly to smuggle drugs, resulting in Cindy turning on Savannah. After Gordon and Helen were killed in a car accident in February 2004, Cindy returned for their funerals. After the will reading, Cindy attempted to pressure Max and Mandy into selling the house and businesses. Max and Cindy fell out as a result, and Cindy returned to Spain after Mandy sold Washed Up to Tony, her boyfriend.

2008-2010: Return and Marriage to Tony[]

Cindy returned to Hollyoaks in June 2008 after her relationship with wealthy man Phillip ended, leaving her penniless. Max allowed Cindy and Holly to move in with him, as Cindy had lied that Phillip was abusive. She disapproved of Max's fiancée Steph Dean, causing the pair to break up temporarily when she attempted to sell MOBS and let Max blame Steph. Max banned Cindy from the wedding, but she turned up at the reception. However, Cindy was left shell-shocked when O.B. informed her that Max had been fatally struck by Niall Rafferty's car merely hours after, ultimately deciding to remain in the village.

After being rejected by Warren Fox, Cindy began a relationship with Darren Osborne. However, the relationship ended when Darren confessed to his role in the fake death of his father - Jack - in October 2008. She then embarked on a fling with Rhys Ashworth, but Rhys ended things when he realised that Cindy was using him. She went on to make another move on Warren, ultimately making enemies with his fiancée Louise Summers. Cindy discovered that Mandy had been having an affair with Warren, but Mandy ended up telling Louise herself. In February 2009, Cindy began working as a waitress at Il Gnosh and soon began dating the owner - Tony!

Discussion from Holly about marriage made Tony uncomfortable and he broke up with Cindy. However, Darren suggested that Cindy married Tony so that she could steal his money whilst Darren sabotaged The Dog in the Pond's value to buy it. Cindy and Tony married in October 2009, but Cindy began falling for Tony and rejected Darren. Tony purchased Tan & Tumble from Ash Roy, with Cindy making herself the manager and later turning it into clothing store Cincerity. Holly began to struggle with Cindy and Tony, feeling unloved by the pair. After being threatened by Tony and overhearing him and Cindy talking about sending her to boarding school, she ran away from home. Her disappearance took a toll on the relationship, with Cindy turning to Darren for comfort. Holly was eventually found, but Cindy and Tony separated and later divorced.

2010-2012: Becoming a Millionaire and Bus Crash[]

In August 2010, Cindy encountered Alistair Longford at Il Gnosh. After Myra McQueen (pretending to have sustained an injury at the restaurant to get compensation) rescued him from choking, Alistair believed Cindy had rescued him and tried to begin a relationship with her. Cindy only agreed upon discovering that he was a millionaire and the pair quickly got engaged. Alistair's grandchildren India and Texas enlisted their great-grandmother Blanche's help in stopping the wedding. Alistair discovered the truth about Myra rescuing him but he still chose Cindy, and the pair married in September 2010.

In March 2011, Cindy returned from the honeymoon in Switzerland, revealing that Alistair had fallen from the Alps, leaving her a wealthy widow. After opening a spa, Cinergy, Texas (out of revenge for Cindy stopping her allowance) and Mandy began conning her into making a series of bad financial decisions. She began donating to 'Father Francis', a fake priest claiming to be raising money for children in Uganda. The pair also had an affair, which ended when Cindy caught 'Francis' attempting to flee with Carmel. By January 2012, Cindy was financially ruined and forced to sell Cinergy.

Ex-husband Tony offered Cindy a job at College Coffee and allowed her to move in with him. After Darren and Nancy Hayton's wedding, Tony and Cindy drunkenly slept together. Following a period of deliberation, the pair decided to reconcile. However, when co-worker Rhys Ashworth began having marriage problems, they ended up beginning an affair. After getting engaged, Tony was involved in a minibus crash whilst looking at venues, resulting in temporary blindness. Just as his eyesight returned, Tony found Cindy and Rhys kissing in The Loft alleyway, but they believed he still couldn't see.

After marrying Tony in November 2012, Rhys convinced Cindy to run away with him. Tony overheard and decided to expose their affair, but was interrupted by a minibus with brake failure crashing through the venue. The crash resulted the deaths of Rhys, driver Maddie Morrison, and occupants Jono and Neil Cooper. Tony sympathised with Cindy at first, but Rhys's widow Jacqui Ashworth learned of the affair and struck Cindy unconscious with a garden gnome at Christmas. Cindy threatened to press charges and a horrified Tony demanded a divorce.

2013-2014: Browning's Murder and Health Crisis[]

In February 2013, Cindy began managing Price Slice and moved into the flat above with Holly. Cindy later fell pregnant after a one-night stand with Paul Browning, who attempted to strangle her to death after she rejected a bribe to keep her quiet. Cindy told doctor Lindsey Roscoe, who had previously been raped by Browning, about the incident. The pair told Mercedes McQueen, and she later discovered that Browning had shot (presumably fatally) her mother Myra. Lindsey and Cindy interrupted Browning's attempt to kill Mercedes, with Cindy striking him with a shovel. Mercedes ended up bludgeoning him to death with it when he tried to attack Lindsey.

The trio, with help from Freddie Roscoe, covered up Browning's death by pushing his car off a cliff when hiding him in Mercedes's attack and Cindy's freezer failed to work. Mercedes and Cindy ended up falling out over Browning's £500,000 life insurance when Cindy tried to take it for herself. After Mercedes had Trevor Royle threaten Cindy, Dirk Savage comforted her and the pair began a relationship. Dirk left Cindy after learning the truth about Browning's death, but Mercedes reconciled them when Cindy gave birth to a boy she named Hilton. Hilton was born ill and required a blood transfusion, proving to be a match with Browning's estranged son Alex.

Merely months after Hilton's birth, Cindy suffered a breakdown and began hallucinating Rhys. Cindy and 'Rhys' planned to flee the village with Hilton so Cindy stole Tony and Diane Hutchinson's pram. After nearly being hit by a bus, Cindy hijacked it but was caught and placed in a psychiatric hospital. After being released, Cindy began believing that Holly was trying to kill her and made plans to leave with Lindsey's help. Lindsey informed Dirk and Holly but Cindy fell into a lake whilst running from them and ended up back in the unit. However, Cindy ended up beginning to recover and was discharged again at Christmas 2014, when Dirk proposed to her.

2015-2017: Marriage to Dirk[]

Cindy supported Dirk when his son Will broke out of prison and was pushed from a roof by Nico Blake in January 2015. However, Will sought revenge by trying to kill Cindy with a morphine overdose. Dirk, in retaliation, decided against calling for help when Will suffered a cardiac arrest which ultimately proved fatal. In February 2015, Cindy was replaced as manager of Price Slice by Simone Loveday and ended up working at Dirk's business, Savage's Emporium. Dirk and Cindy married in May 2015 but afterwards, a man - Mac Nightingale - approached Cindy asking for a divorce. Cindy refused by at Mac's wedding to Neeta Kaur in January 2016, Cindy revealed the truth to the shocked wedding congregation - including Dirk!

Dirk turned his back on Cindy but Mac's son James Nightingale took an interest in her, convincing her to hire him as her divorce solicitor. She agreed and James's mother Marnie revealed that her son Alfie Nightingale was Cindy's biological son. James and Marnie's revenge plan on Mac ended when he paid them to leave the village. Dirk and Cindy eventually reconciled and Cindy began looking at new property development 'Royal Oaks'. The developer rejected her offer, turning out to be her sister Jude, as the development was actually a scam. Cindy attempted to get Jude to back out, but after her disastrous "Halloween Spooktacular" carnival, Jude left Cindy some of the money and fled the village. Cindy used the money to buy 65 Christleton Terrace.

Following the death of councillor Roberta Shaw, Cindy battled Simone for the vacant position on the council but ultimately lost. After encountering financial struggles, Cindy and Dirk brought D.S. Gavin Armstrong in as a lodger. However, Gavin began stalking her and lured her to Liverpool under false pretences. Rebuffing his advances and learning the truth, Cindy managed to flee and Gavin was arrested. He was replaced by Savage's Emporium employee Milo Entwistle, who became over-protective of the Cunningham family. In November 2017, Dirk and Cindy remarried - legally - despite Milo's attempts to ruin it. However, the marriage didn't last long as Dirk slept with Myra McQueen after a series of arguments, and Cindy evicted Dirk over the affair.

2017-2019: Second-Time Widow[]

Gavin was released on Christmas Eve and continued his acts against Cindy. However, Milo took down Gavin for good after tangling him in Christmas lights and throwing a pot of water over him, electrocuting him. In the aftermath, Cindy used Milo to make Dirk jealous before having a one-night-stand with Glenn Donovan, who was dating gangster Grace Black at the time. In March 2018, Cindy made plans with Tony's old friend Finn to open a catering van, stealing £10,000 from Tom but losing it on the horses. Finn took the blame and left the village, but Cindy accidentally revealed the truth after the launch. As her family turned on her, Cindy ended up sleeping with Holly's boyfriend Damon Kinsella.

In June 2018, Cindy and Dirk finally reconciled but the period of happiness didn't last long when Holly and Damon discovered that Milo had hacked Damon's phone and planted a tracker on Holly. After being evicted, Milo learned of Cindy and Damon's liaison and became convinced that he needed to protect the Cunninghams from her, blackmailing her into leaving the village. However, Damon confessed at the altar and Dirk confronted Milo over his treatment of Cindy. Dirk fell into a pool and Milo turned on faulty lights, electrocuting Dirk. Holly and Cindy were reunited in their grief.

Cindy discovered that Milo had crashed into Gordon and Helen's car in February 2004 and he kidnapped her, leaving her suspended in the air in Gordon and Helen's old car. Cindy fell but was caught by her family and survived. Meanwhile, Milo was crushed by the car and relocated to a hospital in Birmingham after the Cunninghams turned on him. However, Cindy was next targeted by Mac, who swapped her bipolar medication for vitamins. Whilst in a psychiatric hospital, Mac tricked Cindy into signing the house over to him. Cindy moved in with Mandy as James helped her get her house back, but Mac was murdered on the day of his trial.

2019-2022: Relationship with Luke[]

Cindy managed to get her house back but decided to sell it to Stuart Sumner. The sale of the house left Cindy in a predicament and she ended up lodging with several of her friends and family. After comforting Mandy's ex-husband Luke Morgan, the pair ended up sleeping together. Cindy also made plans to purchase The Loft's yard from Grace with financial support from Tom, to turn it into a market. However, Cindy bribed builder Woody to evade building regulations, resulting in disaster when a drunken Luke - who Cindy was having a fling with - caused the digger to dig into the Roman tunnels beneath.

As the police investigated the damage, Cindy took the blame for Luke. Luke realised that he wanted to be with Cindy and proposed to her in November 2019. He and Tom bought back 65 Christleton Terrace, but Tom and his daughter Steph would be moving in with them. On Christmas Day, Luke told Cindy that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, but she told him that she wanted to be his carer. Cindy ultimately became a source of support: comforting Nancy following the suicide of her fiancé Kyle Kelly, and attempting to help Luke's son Oliver Morgan overcome a drug addiction. She also opened The Cunningham Grande Bazaar in February 2020.

Luke and Cindy received a visit from Luke's mother Sue, who revealed that she was dying from a heart condition. Sue took a disliking to Cindy over Mandy, but was talked round before her death. After Sue's funeral, Luke proposed to Cindy with a ring and worried when he became obsessed over the wedding. Cindy became alarmed when Luke's aunt Lydia was behaving similar to her husband Peter - who had died of the same illness - in his final six months.

As Luke's condition worsened, Cindy struggled to cope with his behaviour as well as Ollie's conspiracy theorist girlfriend Becky Quentin. Cindy began fundraising after learning of a trial in California, with Misbah Maalik discovering (after Cindy made a deposit) that it was a scam. Luke spent the remainder of the fundraiser on a family holiday to Mallorca, resulting in Cindy being accused of fraud until Lisa Hunter gave Luke's sister Zara the money to pay everyone back. The trip to Mallorca became a stag and hen do before Cindy and Luke's non-legal wedding, but Luke fell from a cliff and died in hospital surrounded by his family.

2022-: After Luke[]

Cindy ended up befriending Grace when her partner, police officer Saul Reeves, was murdered on duty. Cindy struggled at home, surrounded by reminders of Luke, and Grace asked Cindy to move in (with Hilton) after her lodger Ripley Lennox left the village. The pair were soon joined by Zara and Cindy's niece Ella Richardson, following Mandy's move to Los Angeles. In March 2023, Warren and his mother Norma Crow crashed their car through the bazaar. Cindy had not kept up insurance payments and Warren and Norma's insurance refused to pay out. Grace and Zara assisted Cindy on a range of various money-making schemes, before settling on the dramatic decision to perform a robbery on the bank where Cindy's enemy Alex Burton worked.

In the run up to the robbery, Cindy's behaviour gave reason for concern: nearly telling Dave Chen-Williams about the plot, becoming fixated on saving the bazaar, and believing a truck driver transporting a portaloo had taken Luke's Hotline. However, Cindy stopped herself from being kicked off the heist by stealing councillor Tony's phone.

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Kill count[]

Murders[]

None

Attempted murders[]

Holly Cunningham, 9th April 1998 - Attempted to suffocate Holly with a cushion whilst suffering from post-natal depression, but was stopped by Jude Cunningham.
Anna Green, 2nd November 2000 - Ran over Anna with Tony Hutchinson's car accidentally, but left her for dead.
Paul Browning, 16th October 2013 - Hit over the head with a shovel in defence of Mercedes McQueen.

Appendices[]

Residences[]

Address	Duration
12 Tatton Crescent	Until September 1999
Fairview Caravan Park	September 1999 to November 1999
12 Tatton Crescent	November 1999 to 30th October 2000
Spain	30th October 2000 to 27th February 2004
12 Tatton Crescent	27th February 2004 to 19th March 2004
Spain	19th March 2004 to 9th June 2008
3 Oakdale Drive, Flat 3	9th June 2008 to 2009
3 Oakdale Drive, Flat 4	2009 to 2010
28b Fern Street	2010
Unknown	2010 to 5th January 2012
3 Oakdale Drive, Flat 4	5th January 2012 to February 2013
5 Oakdale Drive, Flat 2	February 2013 to 2017
65 Christleton Terrace	2017 to December 2018
Psychiatric hospital	December 2018 to 31st January 2019
3 Oakdale Drive, Flat 4	February 2019 to April 2019
65 Christleton Terrace	April 2019 to May 2019
8 Rowing Club Apartments	24th May 2019 to 4th December 2019
65 Christleton Terrace	4th December 2019 to 8th August 2022
3 Oakdale Drive, Flat 3	Since 8th August 2022

Employment History[]