Karen Henthorn returns to EastEnders after 27-year absence
Soap star Karen Henthorn is looking forward to her EastEnders return.
Karen Henthorn is set to reprise the role of Julie Bates in EastEnders.
The 62-year-old actress - who played Nigel’s wife on the BBC soap - is set to return to EastEnders, 27 years after she was last seen in Albert Square.
Karen said: "It’s very surreal to be back in Albert Square after 27 years and working with the delightful Paul Bradley again - it’s scary how fast the time has gone!"
Karen last appeared in EastEnders in 1998, when Julie and Nigel moved to Scotland to start a new life together.
And Karen has teased some details of her upcoming storylines.
The actress shared: "Julie has got some awful surprises ahead of her after the initial relief she feels to discover Nigel is still alive. It’s been great to film with Paul and Steve (McFadden), who are such lovely actors, as Julie discovers Nigel’s dementia diagnosis and why he chose to hide it from her."
Karen's voice was actually heard on-screen earlier this year, when Nigel listened to a voicemail message from Julie.
Ben Wadey, the EastEnders executive producer, is also thrilled that Karen is returning to Albert Square.
He said: "We are delighted to have Karen Henthorn returning to reprise her role as Julie, who arrives looking for Nigel.
"Julie hasn’t seen Nigel in almost two years and is unaware of his diagnosis and reasons for leaving, so her arrival will pose questions for the pair of them."
By contrast, Gemma Bissix - who played Nigel’s daughter Claire Bates - recently confirmed that she hasn't been approached about an EastEnders return.
The soap star told The Sun newspaper in May: "They didn’t ask me. I think they did fantastic with their 40th birthday celebrations.
"They brought so many characters back from the '90s. I think that Paul Bradley is doing fantastically well with his dementia storyline.
"And you know, realistically, had that sort of that had come on the cards, that storyline would have probably been, you know, Claire Bates going and taking his money from a dementia sufferer character, which actually probably isn't something I would want to do either."
