EastEnders' Jacqueline Jossa addresses possible full-time return
The Lauren Branning actress made a brief comeback for Dot's funeral episodes.
Jacqueline Jossa has responded to fans asking whether she would be up for returning to EastEnders permanently.
The actress played Lauren Branning on the BBC soap from 2010 to 2018, and returned for the special episodes paying tribute to the late Dot Cotton star June Brown.
During an Instagram Q&A this week, one follower asked Jossa if she would "ever go back to EastEnders full time" – and she seemed hopeful of a return at some point in the future.
She wrote: "I loved being back, and was so happy with you lot in my DMs, maybe one day.”
It comes as The Sun reports that Jossa is keen on an Albert Square comeback, citing a source that claims she told EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw she would be interested in returning as Lauren.
RadioTimes.com has contacted EastEnders for any further comment.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press ahead of Dot's funeral episodes, Jossa reflected on the moment she was asked back for the moving tribute.
She explained: "I mean, it was just a WhatsApp message from my agent. ‘You're not really free these two weeks, but you've been asked,’ and I was like, ‘We need to move everything I'm going back,' like, Yes, yes, yes. Yes!’ That was literally a no-brainer."
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Jossa revealed: “I was quite scared – and it's only been four and a half years, not 33. But it felt like 33 years. I was like, ‘I can't remember what I'm doing’. And then you walk in and you see people like Natalie [Cassidy] and Scott Maslen and then you're just like, ‘Oh, it's Uncle Jack.’ Straight away, you're at home.
"And I remember the people behind the cameras – the people holding the boom on the show are still here. You notice the same people, it's friendly faces. You just feel like a family again, quite quickly."
Since leaving EastEnders, Jossa has gone on to win I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2019, and appeared on The Masked Singer's live tour earlier this year.
Read more:
- EastEnders review: Dot's perfect farewell as she's honoured alongside the Queen
- EastEnders' Jacqueline Jossa: "It's not over yet" for the Brannings
- Who didn’t return for Dot Branning’s funeral in EastEnders?
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Soaps hub.
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Christian Tobin is the Production Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all online content and editing digital articles across TV, Film, Gaming and more. He previously worked as Chief Sub-Editor at Digital Spy and has a BA in English Language and Literature from University College London.
