I feel like Cindy gets such a bad rap and is seen like the bad guy, whilst Ian is seen as her victim.
Back in the day he was so awful to her. He made her work in the chip shop most nights, when she was a mum to three young children under five, including two toddler twins. He controlled the money he gave her and was rude and condescending to her when she asked for more love, money, nights out other than the Vic, and he used to humiliate her by being rude, obnoxious and competitive with everyone around him. He was abusive to her on a meal out with his mum and Phil, and also rude to his mum, which is why Phil ended up putting his head down the toilet. It's only when Jane came into Ian's life after abusing and torturing Laura for not living up to his expectations of being a perfect put up and hush wife, that he mellowed out a bit.
Cindy had an affair out of frustration and trying to find some joy, with a lifeguard, and ended it when she realised she had done wrong. She tried to be extra kind to Ian, out of guilt, but he carried on being awful to her. David Wicks noticed all her mistreatment and called it out and told her she deserved better. She thought he meant that he would give her better so gave her heart and soul into trying to build a life with him, only for him to betray her when the going gets tough.
EE always fails to remind viewers of the reason why Cindy ending up trying to have Ian shot. She tried to leave and make a new life for herself with David and her children, with Barry's help (who could also see she deserved better) and when Ian found out he blackmailed Cindy into staying with him. She wasn't even going to go far, just to a flat somewhere in East London and told him he could still see the children. He had made her to sign something to do with a mortgage for an extra big house (two of the terraces on Alrbert square joined together), which was fraudulent, unbeknownst to her, and when she was ready to leave, he threatened to have her put in jail for signing something fraudulently, unless she stayed, or gave him full custody of the kids. She was distraught as her children were her world and became so panicked and desperate that she arranged to have him shot, then woke up out of her insanity and tried to cancel it and tried to take Ian somewhere safe.
When she eventually came back to the UK after being on the run abroad (abandoned by David at this point), even though Ian had his children back with him, he had her put in jail whilst she was pregnant, ONLY to stop her getting custody of the children. He wasn't interested in having her arrested for ages, it was only when she turned up asking for access to her children, that the woman trying to help him become local councilor for her own crooked gain (Annie), had the hitman tracked down and had him forced to confess by Phil. The father of her unborn baby, abandoned her, when he found out what had happened and pulled away all her legal support.
I'd say she's more trauma bonded to Ian, especially after the loss of her children, and she's never had any skills other than working in the chip shop and whatever she did in hiding, had a troubled upbringing. East London is expensive. She wants to, and has always wanted to, be close to her children, and has had all her impulsive decisions fuelled by the desperate love she feels for them. She turned to him originally because she was a vulnerable single mum, and thought he really wanted to love her. But he didn't. I reckon she loves George so much because he's the only guy who ever gave his heart to her, and she let it go, when the trauma of the past came back with Lucy dying.