BBC Share Add as a preferred source on Google By Carena Crawford 4 Feb 2026, 12:02 By Carena Crawford 4 Feb 2026, 12:02 Ian Beale in EastEnders: Six wives, his age, getting shot by Cindy Beale and the reason he ended up homeless How much do you know about Ian Beale? Ian Beale Share Add as a preferred source on Google By Carena Crawford 4 Feb 2026, 12:02 By Carena Crawford 4 Feb 2026, 12:02 It’s fair to say Ian Beale is the beating heart of BBC soap EastEnders. Played by actor Adam Woodyatt, he’s the soap’s longest-serving character and one of Walford’s most well-known residents. But how many wives has Ian had? Why did he end up having a nervous breakdown before leaving the Square? And how come Cindy tried to get him killed? Carry on reading to find out! Ian Beale has appeared on EastEnders since day one (Credit: BBC) Who is Ian Beale on EastEnders? Ian Beale is the son of Kathy and Peter Beale. He is a proud dad to Peter, Lucy and Bobby Beale. Ian is also the adoptive father of Steven Beale and Cindy Williams Jr. Ian’s journey has been nothing short of dramatic during his time in Walford. His storylines have included everything from shock relationships to mental health issues. Ian resides at 45 Albert Square. Article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Ian has been here from the start! (Credit: BBC/YouTube) When did Ian Beale start on EastEnders? Ian Beale’s first appearance was on February 19, 1985, in the very first episode. Currently, he is Walford’s longest-serving resident, with Sharon, Kathy and Phil following not far behind. Ian was born March 1, 1969, making him 56 years of age. Brothers and sisters Ian was the only child of Kathy and Pete, but he does have a half-brother. David Wicks shares the same father, Pete Beale, who died on the BBC soap in 1993 Things got a little awkward back in the day, when David embarked on a cheeky affair with Cindy – who was with Ian at the time! Ian has another half-brother too. Ben Mitchell shares the same mum, Kathy, with Ian but they have different dads – with Ben’s father being Phil, while Ian’s is Peter. Ian’s had a lot of wives… but Cindy is probably his most well-known (Credit: BBC) Ian Beale has had a lot of wives in EastEnders! Ian and Cindy Beale part one Ian’s had a slew of relationships during his years on the soap – including six wives. It makes him EastEnders most-married resident! His first romance was with Cindy and she soon fell pregnant. But Ian wasn’t the father, Simon Wicks was. She then gave birth to Steven, but Simon abandoned them. Reuniting with Ian, she went on to have their twins, Lucy and Peter. However, Cindy wasn’t satisfied and soon struck up another affair with Simon’s brother – Ian’s half-brother – David Wicks. Ian hired a private investigator to catch her cheating and then took her to court for custody of the kids. Things went really bad when Cindy hired a hitman to kill Ian. Fearing she would be caught, she tried to take the kids and flee the country. But she was forced to leave Lucy behind. Cindy was later arrested and sent to prison, where she supposedly died in childbirth… Melanie Healy Up next was Melanie Healy, who was way out of Ian’s league and he knew it. When she planned to leave him for Steve Owen, Ian lied that Lucy had cancer to get Mel to stay. She did, and they got married on New Year’s Eve. However Mel found out the truth hours later and dumped Ian at the wedding reception. Laura Dunn Nanny Laura was smitten with Ian, but he saw their fling as something more casual. Ian was so obsessed with his business ventures he was neglectful. They reconciled after Ian went bankrupt and married in May 2001. But Laura wanted a child and Ian didn’t. Ian began visiting Janine Butcher who was working as a prostitute. Laura found out the truth and forgave Ian as long as they had a baby. Ian agreed, but had secretly had a vasectomy. When Laura fell pregnant after a one-night stand with Garry Hobbs, Ian threw her out. However it turned out Ian was the real dad and when Laura died after breaking her neck, Ian took custody of Bobby. Jane made a brief return in 2024 (Credit: BBC/YouTube) Ian and Jane Beale Ian then embarked on another iconic relationship with Jane Collins. They married in July 2007. But things went bad when stepson Steven returned to the Square and accidentally shot Jane. It meant she had to have a hysterectomy. Jane wanted to adopt a child and they agreed to raise Lucy’s baby when she fell pregnant. However, Ian secretly arranged for Lucy to have an abortion. Jane found out and eventually the couple divorced after he had a fling with Glenda Mitchell. Ian went on to have a relationship with Mandy Salter and got engaged to Denise Fox. But soon he reunited with Jane and married her again. He even stuck by her when it was revealed she had been involved in daughter Lucy’s death. But their love wasn’t to be. Sharon and Ian were not meant to be (Credit: BBC) Ian Beale was married to Sharon Watts in EastEnders Ian struck up a romance with Sharon Watts too, they even got married. But that went sour when she found out he’d locked her son Denny in a room on a boat which led to the lad’s tragic death. Sharon tried to poison him, but couldn’t go through with it and made him throw the food up. Ian then left Walford and he later annulled the marriage. Cindy still wasn’t satisified with Ian (Credit: BBC) Ian and Cindy Part two Off-screen, Ian then rekindled things with Cindy, but once they were back in Walford things didn’t work out. Cindy was back to her cheating ways, trying to come on to ex-husband George Knight and then starting an affair with George’s son, Junior. Cindy has now left Walford, but is Ian finally free of her? EastEnders whodunnits featuring Ian Beale Cindy was responsible for Ian getting shot (Credit: BBC) Who shot Ian Beale? Back in the 90s, Cindy hired a professional hitman, John, to kill Ian. At the time, Cindy was having an affair with David – who was losing interest. Ian had found out and was taking her to court for custody of the kids. In a bid to prove her love to David, Cindy took drastic action to get rid of Ian. And in October 1996, her hitman shot her ex – but failed to kill him with Ian being wounded and rushed to hospital. Cindy then fled the country taking Steven and Peter, but not able to get Lucy in time. She was tracked down in 1997 and returned, finally facing justice. Who shot Phil Mitchell? In 2001 Phil Mitchell was the enemy of everyone in Walford. It was little wonder he was shot on his doorstep and left for dead. Ian was one of the prime suspects due to his ongoing feud with Phil. Phil had once been married to Ian’s mum Kathy and he bullied Ian. It turned out Ian had not shot Phil, it was in fact, Lisa Fowler, Phil’s ex. Ian and Phil have never seen eye to eye, but Phil has supported Ian on numerous occasions, especially when Lucy died. Who killed Lucy Beale? After a row with Ian, Lucy stormed out one night in March 2014. And she never came home. She was killed and left on Walford Common. Ian identified the body and became consumed with grief. As the police investigated, Ian became one of the prime suspects. But his alibi was prostitute Rainie Cross who he’d paid for sex that night. Max Branning was eventually arrested and convicted of the murder. The grief reunited Ian and Jane and they got married in February, but at the reception the truth about Lucy came out. Bobby had killed her accidentally by hitting her over the head with a jewellery box. Bobby thought Lucy was still alive so called Jane who, realising Lucy was dead, covered it up even from Bobby. She moved the body to the common and staged a mugging. Ian agreed to keep quiet, but months later Bobby discovered what he’d done and lashed out at Jane with a hockey stick. He was arrested for the assault and during questioning confessed to killing Lucy. Bobby was given three years in custody and Jane ended her relationship with Ian. Ian’s fortunes took a drastic turn in 2012 (Credit: BBC/YouTube) How did Ian Beale become homeless in EastEnders? Ian Beale ended up homeless back in 2012. It came after Mandy Slater ended things, causing Ian to have a nervous breakdown. Dressed in only pyjamas, he wandered along a road barefoot, not telling anyone where he was going, before disappearing Two months later, Lauren Branning, who was working with homeless people, saw Ian at a homeless shelter, and he was brought back to Walford. Ian and Cindy returned to Walford in 2023 (Credit: BBC) When did Ian Beale leave EastEnders? Ian Beale made a shock exit back in January 2021. He left the square after Sharon Watts tried to poison him and Phil attacked him. It was first announced that actor Adam Woodyatt was taking an extended break from the soap in August 2020. However, a few years later and Ian was back on screens full-time in August 2023 with Cindy Beale in tow. He and Cindy opened Beale’s Eels restaurant as Ian tried to rebuild his Walford business empire once more. The pair split – seemingly for good this time – after her affair with George Knight’s son, Junior, was exposed at Christmas. Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns. Share Add as a preferred source on Google Good to Know Share Add as a preferred source on Google By Carena Crawford 4 Feb 2026, 12:02 By Carena Crawford 4 Feb 2026, 12:02 Previous Story Next Story
