EastEnders icon Jane Beale made a surprise return to Albert Square this week – but fans are convinced that they have figured out the sinister reason for her comeback

The motive behind the return of EastEnders’ icon Jane Beale has been ‘unveiled’, and it spells trouble for Cindy Beale.

Jane, portrayed by Laurie Brett, was a beloved character on the BBC One soap, first appearing in 2004. As Ian Beale’s (Adam Woodyatt) wife, Jane was part of numerous significant Walford events.

Jane featured intermittently on the soap for 13 years, but bid farewell to Albert Square in 2017.

However, seven years after her last appearance, Jane made a surprising return to the soap this week. As viewers will remember, Ian has been concealing a massive secret from his partner Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).

Ian deceived his family by claiming he was running for council again – but his son Peter (Thomas Law) confronted him off-screen to reveal the truth. Suspecting an affair, Cindy discovered an address for a property in the Cotswolds preloaded into Ian’s sat-nav during Monday’s episode (July 15), reports the Daily Star.

In a panic, Cindy enlisted ex-George Knight (Colin Salmon) to drive her to the mysterious cottage.

After pounding on the front door, Ian eventually opened up and Cindy stormed through the house. In a classic EastEnders’ moment, Cindy turned towards Jane as she introduced herself.

Now, fans believe they have ‘decoded’ the reason for Jane’s unexpected return. On social media, viewers speculate that Jane is back to exact revenge on Cindy for her earlier infidelity with George.

On a Reddit thread, one person speculated: “I still wonder if she’s going to be the one to blow Cindy out of the water.”