EastEnders star Micah Balfour has teased that his character Junior Knight will be thrown into a panic in forthcoming scenes as his illicit affair with Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) risks being exposed.
Fans of the BBC soap recently saw Junior embark on a secret relationship with his dad George Knight’s (Colin Salmon) ex-wife, following a night of passion a few months back at Beales’ Eels.
However, this week will see Junior’s half-sister and Cindy’s daughter Gina (Francesca Henry) almost stumble upon their secret when she unexpectedly turns up at his door.
Gina will be seen looking for a place to crash, after Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) chucks her out of The Queen Vic blaming her for mum Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) landing in hospital. But her arrival comes just as Junior is getting ready to welcome Cindy over for another illicit encounter.
‘Gina isn’t the person he expected to see on his doorstep, and Junior doesn’t know how to deal with the situation she puts him in,’ Micah explains.
‘He likes being on the front foot and can talk himself out of many situations, but being confronted by Gina like this makes life very uncomfortable for Junior.’
Junior will be seen dismissing his sister, needing her to get away before Cindy turns up, but Micah believes there might be another reason he doesn’t want her to stay
‘Gina moving in is not something he was planning for, and the idea of letting someone into his close quarters terrifies him, especially someone that deep down he really cares for,’ he says.
‘He worries that if Gina really gets to know him, she might reject him, and he feels he has to safeguard his emotions. But I believe he wants to get closer to his family because why else would he have stayed in Albert Square?’
However, Micah revealed that Junior and dad George have ‘a long way to go’ before they ‘can seriously mend those bridges’, having spent hears estranged from one another.
‘Initially, I think he slept with Cindy as a way to get back at his dad, whether he was aware of it or not,’ Micah says. ‘I think that was the initial attraction, but their relationship has progressed, and he has developed some genuine feelings towards Cindy.
‘I’m not sure how serious those feelings are, but he does have a genuine affection for her. But he’s one of those men who feels that what people don’t know can’t hurt them.’
Due to the Olympics coverage, EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC Two this week, and from 6am on iPlayer.
