Michelle Collins has shared the deeply emotional reason behind her surprise marriage to husband Mike Davidson — a man 22 years her junior — after years of believing she’d never tie the knot.
The 62-year-old actress, best known for her role as Cindy Beale in EastEnders, married Mike, 40, in 2022 after a decade-long relationship that began in 2012. But it was a personal tragedy that pushed their romance to the next step.
Speaking on Kaye Adams’ How to be 60 podcast, Michelle revealed that it was the death of her beloved mother to cancer in 2022 that led Mike to propose. Despite both of them once saying they’d never marry, the loss changed everything.
“He said: ‘Because with your mum gone, I knew how much she meant to you and I felt I wanted to make you feel safe and look after you,’” Michelle recalled. “It’s such a beautiful, lovely thing to say. And I suppose I do feel safe.”
Michelle admitted she had been engaged before, but never believed she would actually get married — until Mike’s heartfelt proposal.
Today, she feels grateful for the quiet, simple companionship they share. “It’s about being with someone I can do nothing with, someone who doesn’t think I’m boring. That’s what a true partner is,” she said.
Describing their relationship as “yin and yang,” Michelle noted that their differences help them thrive together. “He’s very supportive, not in the same industry, which I love. He’s normal — well, as normal as you can be married to me!”
Michelle added with a laugh: “You’ve got to be a very tolerant person. I feel very lucky.”
