Emmerdale star Gemma Oaten has confirmed her return to Doctors, 13 years after landing a part on the BBC One soap.
The actress, who is best known for portraying Rachel Breckle in ITV’s signature rural serial drama, had her first-ever TV role on Doctors, making her screen debut as Sam Doyle.
This time around, she will be playing Dani, who couldn’t be more different from her previous Letherbridge alter-ego.
Taking to social media to break the ‘super exciting’ news, Gemma wrote: ‘Absolutely buzzing to be asked back to the show that gave me my 1st ever TV role within 2 months of graduating from Drama school, some THIRTEEN YEARS AGO!’
The former Coronation Street star also took the time to explain how she ‘grafted like no other’ in 2009 to land the part on Doctors, having just finished her last therapy session for treatment of an eating disorder.
‘I’d already almost lost my life 5 times & I was finally grabbing my time,’ she wrote in the powerful caption. ‘So to then get the role of Sam Doyle in #Doctors it was a dream come true. Cast by the amazing @brettfallis who literally changed my life, as 4mths after my debut aired, I was cast as Rachel Breckle in @emmerdale.’
Gemma also took the opportunity to heap praise on Doctors, which was recently – and controversially, might I add – axed by the BBC after 23 years.
‘This is the thing about Doctors, it was a training ground for so many up & coming actors & they gave us a chance,’ she explained.
‘So to be able to return before it ends for good is such a blessing, tinged with sadness of course, as we lose such a brilliant show & platform.’
Hear hear!
Gemma is fondly remembered for her work on Emmerdale as Rachel Breckle, who was a much-loved and regular character for four years, appearing between 2011 and 2015.
Rachel was later killed off off-screen to facilitate a return storyline for her son Archie (Kai Assi) who still lives with his dad Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) in the eponymous village.
Gemma, meanwhile, went on to appear in Coronation Street, playing Isla Haywood – a potential love interest for Tyrone Hobbs (Alan Halsall) – for two episodes in 2021.
Fans can catch her on Doctors, now playing Dani, on Monday, February 5.
