EastEnders legend returning after 27 years – but co-star won't be with her

The Sun

14 hours ago

AN EASTENDERS legend is making a shock return after 27 years - but her co-star won't be with her.
The BBC soap has announced a huge comeback for a star last seen in the cobbles in 1998.
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Actress Karen Henthorn is reprising her role as Nigel's wife Julie Bates this summer - 27 years after she was last seen in Albert Square.
Nigel left Julie last year without explanation and returned to Walford, initially telling friends that they had separated.
Later, Nigel admitted that he didn't want to become a burden to Julie, so he chose to disappear and deal with his dementia alone.
However, Julie is set to discover the truth when she arrives in Albert Square later this summer.
Karen last appeared in the show in 1998 when Julie and Nigel moved to Scotland to start a new life together and was briefly heard last year in a phone call.
Executive Producer Ben Wadey said: 'We are delighted to have Karen Henthorn returning to reprise her role as Julie, who arrives looking for Nigel.
'Julie hasn't seen Nigel in almost two years and is unaware of his diagnosis and reasons for leaving, so her arrival will pose questions for the pair of them.'
Karen Henthorn said: 'It's very surreal to be back in Albert Square after 27 years and working with the delightful Paul Bradley again - it's scary how fast the time has gone!
'Julie has got some awful surprises ahead of her after the initial relief she feels to discover Nigel is still alive.
'It's been great to film with Paul and Steve (McFadden), who are such lovely actors, as Julie discovers Nigel's dementia diagnosis and why he chose to hide it from her.'
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However Karen will not be arriving with her on-screen step-daughter Gemma Bissix as Nigel's daughter Claire Bates.
Now back in Hollyoaks as iconic villain Clare Devine, Gemma told The Sun how BBC bosses hadn't approached her for a return despite Nigel's storyline.
She said: 'No, they didn't ask me. I think they did fantastic with their 40th birthday celebrations.
'They brought so many characters back from the '90s. I think that Paul Bradley is doing fantastically well with his dementia storyline.
'And you know, realistically, had that sort of that had come on the cards, that storyline would have probably been, you know, Claire Bates going and taking his money from a dementia sufferer character, which actually probably isn't something I would want to do either.'