Emmerdale fans have been having their say after it was revealed that Jai Sharma's mum will be returning to the village - but with a new face. Georgia Sharma will return to the Dales for her son's upcoming wedding to fiancee Laurel Thomas.
However, it also comes off the back of Jai discovering her ex-husband Rishi isn't his biological father. Fans of the ITV soap watched this week as Jai, played by Chris Bisson, was left stunned earlier this week when he discovered that he is adopted after finding his adoption papers.
Things started out on a high for Jai after a mistake whilst booking a holiday for the family led to his girlfriend popping the question. With her proposal delightfully accepted, the newly engaged couple were soon happily sharing the news with their loved ones.
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But in order to progress with getting married, Jai realised he needs to retrieve his divorce certificate so heads to find his legal documents. However, as he rummaged through the drawers, he was left shocked to find papers that revealed he was adopted, before showing them to Laurel.
He has since been seen angrily confronting Rishi who initially stayed quiet and did not give Jai the answers he wanted, leaving Jai furious. Eventually, the pair did speak and Rishi claimed everything he and Jai's mother had done was in his best interest. He confirmed his ex-wife Georgia was his biological mother as Jai had believed all this time.
But Rishi claimed that Georgia fell pregnant after a one-night stand while she and Rishi were just friends. He shared how he then decided to support her as their friendship blossomed into a romance before Jai's arrival into the world. Jai then wanted to know who his real father was, but Rishi said the man was out of the picture before he was born and didn't even know about him.
Jai didn't take Rishi's reluctance to share exactly what happened between Georgia and his real father and didn't shy away from being angry at Rishi as he confronted him.
And as Jai continues to struggle with the revelation, it has been revealed that Georgia will be back in Emmerdale to ruffle feathers on the eve of her son’s wedding to Laurel.
Originally played by Trudie Goodwin, the role will now be played by former EastEnders actress, Lin Blakley, who has said she is delighted to be joining Emmerdale.
Known for speaking her mind, both her ex-husband Rishi, played by Bhasker Pate, and the soon-to-be-married couple Laurel, played by Charlotte Bellamy, and Jai are instantly at the mercy of her harsh opinions.
With the wedding day looming and the rift between Rishi and Jai showing no signs of abating, will Georgia be able to heal this fractured family?
Actress Lin, who played Pam Coker in EastEnders during on and off stints between 2014 and 2022, commented: “How lucky am I to play such a strong character as Georgia. So different from roles I’ve played of late. I have enjoyed every single minute. Gorgeous cast and crew!! And the gorgeous Dales. Thank you Emmerdale."
Producer Kate Brook added: "We're thrilled to have an actor of Lin's calibre step into the role of the formidable Georgia. A force to be reckoned with, she'll have a secret for the Sharmas that could potentially blow their world apart."
And fans were quick to comment as the casting announcement was made by Emmerdale on social media. @betty_netty said: "That's not the same actress! Come on Emmerdale, sort it out!!" @jericho_brooks_2023 laughed: "That's not June Auckland." @alison.miltonnewman asked: "Why not use Trudie Goodwin??"
@graeme1981 posted: "That ain’t his mum." @barbmen1 joked: "She's had a head transplant!" @zebedee21_tracey_ noted: "That’s not the same ex-wife." @whatjaynereads replied: "I thought I was seeing things? That's Pam Coker right?" @surrey.d jokingly added: "Don’t think rishi and jai are going to recognise her."
