EastEnders star Carli Norris hopes for permanent return as Belinda - and eyes up Mick Carter as possible love interest!

"I think that's the reason she went with [current partner] Neville - he had the money to enable her to escape the Square and the bad side of the Slaters. So she'd probably go for a man with a bit of money."

Recent returnee Belinda can be seen again tonight as the Slater clan says goodbye to patriarch Charlie, who recently died on the BBC1 soap.

At the moment, Belinda is at loggerheads with her sister Kat, but viewers can expect a thawing of hostilities between the Slater siblings as the week progresses.

"Belinda wants nothing more than to be accepted and be part of the Slaters again. My own dad dad passed away very suddenly a couple of years ago and it does bring you closer to the family. So, hopefully, that's what we'll see happening."

And it might just turn out that Belinda holds the key to a mystery that Kat is keen to solve, namely the whereabouts of the son she gave birth to over 30 years ago.

Added Norris: "Belinda has no idea what’s going on in Kat’s life because they very rarely speak. But Belinda shares a memory from her childhood that may have something to do with what's troubling Kat at the moment.

"Obviously, I can’t give away too much. But it does spur Kat on with the next stage of her life."

The 43-year-old actress - who has previously had regular roles on both Hollyoaks and Holby City - also said that she'd like Belinda to become a permanent presence on the Square should the opportunity arise.

"I really love filming there. And after walking around the set for the first time, I did think that it would be the most amazing job to get on a regular basis. So I'm putting that out there! Fingers crossed we do see her again. It's what I'm hoping for."

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's episodes of EastEnders below.

And visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.