One of Hollyoaks' most loved actresses is set to make a dramatic return to the Channel 4 soap after more than a decade away.
Claire Cooper first arrived in Chester in 2006 as Jacqui McQueen, along with three of her sisters – Mercedes, Carmel and Tina – and their mum, Myra. The troublemaker character was involved in several major storylines in the years that followed – not least her relationship with Tony Hutchinson (played by I'm A Celebrity star Nick Pickard) – before departing in April 2013.
In the years that followed her 532 appearances on the programme, Claire largely stayed out of the limelight with much smaller roles in shows including Knightfall and The Peripheral. During that time, meanwhile, she married co-star Emmett Scanlan – known for his Brendan Brady character – with the couple going on to have two children together.
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Now, after bosses announced the introduction of three new characters last week to liven the show up, Claire's return is sure to delight fans even further.
A source told the Sun: "Bosses know that fans want to see their favourite characters from the soap’s long history and Jacqui was on the top of the wish list. She’s iconic and feisty and it’s going to be a true pre-Christmas treat for fans to see what she’s been up to."
Claire's reprisal of her Jacqui role will coincide with the disappearance of sibling Mercedes as the McQueens embark on a desperate mission to locate her. The source added: "It soon becomes clear that Jacqui is involved. And she’s not the only McQueen return on the cards with bosses making rebuilding the family as a priority."
At present Claire is scheduled to appear in one episode only – though the door is reportedly open for a much larger scale comeback. In addition to Claire, the soap has already confirmed that Emma Rigby and Suzanne Hall are reprising their roles as mother and daughter Suzanne and Hannah Ashworth – and it has now been revealed that they will be joined by Darren's twin children, Frankie and Jack Junior in January.
New cast members Isabelle Smith and Ryan Mulvey have been filming alongside Ashley Taylor Dawson and Jessica Fox, who plays Nancy Osbourne, as their characters are set to reunite with estranged dad Darren when they arrive to the village earlier next year.
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Talking about joining Hollyoaks, Isabelle said "I’m so excited to be joining the cast of Hollyoaks, it still hasn’t sunk in! You should expect a lot of ups and downs with Frankie but all I’ll say is, don’t judge her too soon."
And Ryan added "I'm buzzing to join the cast of the Osbourne family. JJ is charismatic, sporty and a proper mummy’s boy who knows exactly how to get what he wants."
Daily Star has invited a representative for Hollyoaks to comment.
Hollyoaks streams weeknights at 7:30pm on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4
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