Bernice return to shake up TV soap

BERNICE Blackstock will make a surprise return to TV soap Emmerdale to stir up trouble in the romance between Leyla Harding and Liam Cavanagh.

The couple, played by Roxy Shahidi and Jonny Mcpherson in the ITV programme, experienced a rollercoaster start to their romance but their relationship is finally back on track and a wedding is being planned.

However, the return of Liam’s ex Bernice, played by Samantha Giles, will throw things into chaos as she was last seen the night before her proposed wedding to Liam, when she dumped him and left for Australia to look after her former husband, Charlie, who had been involved in an accident.

Giles departed the show in 2019 to publish her first book.

The return of her character will also be a shock for her pregnant daughter Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham).

Laura Shaw, producer of Emmerdale, said: “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.”