Emmerdale’s Gemma Oaten confirms huge soap comeback 13 years after exit

Emmerdale star Gemma Oaten announced that she is returning to Doctors, 13 years after landing a role on the BBC soap.

The actress, 39, best known for her role as Rachel Breckle on the ITV soap, had her breakthrough role on Doctors, appearing as Sam Doyle in two episodes of the show back in 2011. Gemma shared her exciting news in an Instagram post on Wednesday (January 31).

The soap star introduced fans to her character named Dani as she sported a neon pink blazer and black skirt. She began: “Super excited to share some telly box news! Hello from Dani who will be appearing in @doctorsbbc next Monday 5th Feb!”

Gemma continued: “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! What’s even crazier is, it is aired almost 13yrs to the day of that debut back in 2011.”

The post included a number of shots of Gemma on set back in 2011 as she acted out her scenes wearing a red coat and black trousers. In another snap, she posed next to TV director Brett Fallis, who she later revealed changed her life.

The former Coronation Street star opened up about her previous health battle after developing an eating disorder at the age of 10. Living with the illness for more than a decade and almost dying on several occasions, Gemma revealed she was honoured to land the role shortly after finishing her final treatment.

She wrote: “Having graduated from drama school already signed to an agent, I knew I was one of the luckiest. But then, I also worked damned hard. Having finished my last therapy session in 2009 for treatment of the eating disorder, I grafted like no other, especially as I’d nothing to lose. I’d already almost lost my life 5 times & I was finally grabbing my time.”

Gemma continued: “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.”

She expressed her gratitude to Doctors as they gave up-and-coming actors, like herself, a chance in the industry. Gemma added: “Now I’m back to say 1 final goodbye to the show that changed it all. What a full circle moment for me.

“One I will never take for granted. Never forget where you started & always allow yourself to embrace how far you’ve come, no matter what that looks like. She signed off the post with: “Key message? Dont ever give up on your dreams, &, more importantly, yourself…”

Gemma starred as Rachel from 2011 until 2015. In 2019, it was revealed that the character had died off-screen from a suspected heart attack. Two years later, Gemma starred as Isla Haywood in Corrie for three episodes.