ITV Emmerdale star’s return ‘sealed’ for wedding bombshell and it’s bad news for Gabby
Another Emmerdale wedding is on the horizon and could see the return of one beloved villager
Emmerdale icon Bernice Blackstock, played by Samantha Giles, has stoked fan excitement with the prospect of her return to the village after a two-year absence.
Reports suggest that Bernice will briefly reappear in the Dales for her daughter Gabby Thomas’ (portrayed by Rosie Bentham) marriage to Vinny Dingle (played by Bradley Johnson), with filming reportedly commencing in the forthcoming weeks.
A source told The Sun, “Everything is being kept very hush-hush, but of course Bernice’s return is a big deal as one of the soap’s most loved characters.
“And Samantha being back among the cast is a real win too, as everyone loves working with her,” reports Belfast Live.
Bernice first visited the village in 1998 and left in 2002. She returned again in 2004 and had a more recent stint in 2023.
However, the latter part of 2023 saw Bernice crafting her departure narrative by leaving her family in disarray.
She burdened Jimmy (depicted by Nick Miles) and her sister Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) with a daunting £20,000 debt.
Moreover, she double-crossed her ally in business, Bob (Tony Audenshaw), by neglecting to settle payments with certain suppliers.
Threatened with the grim reality of imprisonment, she resolved to abandon the village and relocate to Portugal.
During her touching goodbye, Samantha shared a poignant farewell video on social media platforms.
The soap actress spoke with heartfelt emotion, revealing: “The thing I will miss most about playing Bernice is I think I will miss being made up and having my hair done because I can’t do my hair myself! I’ll miss the character because she’s such a fun character to play, because she’s quite a complicated person. I do get a lot of comedy stuff to do, which I really enjoy.”
Samantha previously conceded that she does not foresee a return to the soap, telling the publication: “I don’t feel I’d want to go back to Emmerdale at the moment.”
“I’m enjoying doing other things, and the show changes. I haven’t had a chance to see what’s going on with the show, so I don’t know whether Bernice would fit into it at the moment.
“Who knows? They might not want the character to come back. I don’t think they’ve k.i.l.l.e.d her or anything – they could still do that.”
“It’s something that’s there for the future, possibly, or not. Never say never is what I’m saying,” the actress added.
Reach PLC has reached out to ITV for comment.
Emmerdale is available to watch on ITVX.