Gemma Atkinson is returning to Hollyoaks 16 years after she left the Channel 4 soap, the show has confirmed.
The 36-year-old is set to reprise her role as Lisa Hunter on the show, having been a cast member from 2001 to 2005 - before appearing in spin-off Hollyoaks: In the City in 2006.
Since leaving the Chester-based soap, she's taken part in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2007 and later played a recast Carly Hope on ITV soap Emmerdale between 2015 and 2017.
More recently, Gemma was a participant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, even making it to the final with her partner Aljaž Škorjanec.
And although she didn't get to lift the Glitterball trophy, it was on the BBC dance show that she met her future fiancé Gorka Marquez, a professional dancer on the series - with whom she welcomed daughter Mia in 2019.
Hollyoaks confirmed the return of Gemma on Friday, revealing it was a guest role, with her set for some dramatic scenes with Zara Morgan, who also recently made a comeback.
They teased: "Since leaving Chester Lisa has found love with her activist boyfriend in Thailand, which is where she connected with old school friend Zara. But is there an ulterior motive behind her surprise visit?"
Gemma revealed all on her return, saying: "I’m thrilled to be popping back to Hollyoaks for a short time. It’s where my career began so of course, I was going to say yes!
"The cast and crew are so wonderful and although we have stayed in touch personally, it’ll be great to work together again professionally."
The news of Gemma's return comes amid the departure of long-serving cast member Sarah Jayne Dunn, who has played Mandy Richardson on-and-off since 1996.
The 40-year-old has been dropped from the Channel 4 soap for running an account on adults-only subscription platform OnlyFans - where she shares racy content.
In a recent interview with GB News, the actor said: "I'm not doing anything different to what I've done on my Instagram account for the last four years on the show."
In a statement though, a Hollyoaks rep said recently: "We take our responsibility to our young audience very seriously and therefore the show does not allow any Hollyoaks cast members to be active on certain 18+ websites."
The Mirror approached Channel 4 and a rep for Gemma Atkinson for comment on her rumoured return to Hollyoaks.
