Samantha Giles is to reprise her role of Bernice on ITV’s Emmerdale.
Bernice’s return will cause no shortage of problems for loved up couple Liam and Leyla this summer.
ITV tease: “After a rollercoaster start to their romance, life and their relationship is finally back on track and all is looking promising as a wedding is being planned.
“But the shock return of Liam’s ex, Bernice, is about to make life very complicated for this pair.
“Bernice was last seen the night before her proposed wedding to Liam, when she dumped her devastated fiancé and left hurriedly for Australia to look after her former husband, Charlie, who had been involved in an accident.
“Broken hearted Liam took time to recover and will be furious that Bernice is returning to Emmerdale, just as he’s finally happy and got his life together. And how will pregnant daughter Gabby feel about her unreliable mother being back in the Village? Just as she’s flourishing at Home Farm under the guidance of Kim Tate.
“Emmerdale viewers will know that Bernice doesn’t do anything quietly so can they all coexist peacefully in this Yorkshire village? Or is there about to be some major fireworks?
Emmerdale Producer Laura Shaw said today: “I am thrilled to have Samantha Giles returning to Emmerdale as Bernice. Samantha is such a fabulous actress and her portrayal of Bernice is a wonderfully warm, complex mix of tragedy and comedy that always brings a whirlwind of fun and drama.
“Constantly misunderstood, often getting things terribly wrong, Bernice promises to cause quite a stir from the moment she lands back in the village and will certainly turn lives upside down as she tries to navigate through the changes since she left.”
Actress Samantha Giles added: “As an actress leaving a role that you love is always a hard decision and I’d been lucky to work so consistently for so long which is rare in our business, so I knew the time had come to be brave and take the leap back in 2019 to pursue my other passion of writing and focus on getting my first book published.
“I’ve now had such a lovely response with Rosemary and The Witches of Pendle Hill and the down time of the pandemic meant I was able to complete my next two books. I’m a big believer in fate so when Emmerdale offered me the chance to return as Bernice I took it as a sign that it was meant to be.
“I’m delighted to be returning to play out Bernice’s future storylines which I’m sure are going to keep the audience entertained. She certainly arrives back with a bang that’s all I’m allowed to say right now and I’m looking forward to releasing my next two books whilst juggling her hectic onscreen life!”
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday 7PM & Thursday 8PM on ITV.
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