EXCLUSIVE: Sadie King’s return to Emmerdale is almost here, and now actress Patsy Kensit has told the Mirror her ‘terror’ over her ITV soap comeback after 20 years
There’s not long to wait until Sadie King returns to Emmerdale(Image: ITV)
There’s not long to wait until Sadie King returns to Emmerdale, after 20 years away.
But while fans are excited, actress Patsy Kensit, 58, confessed she was utterly terrified reprising her iconic role. “I was shaking like a leaf,” she told the Mirror. “It’s been a long time. I’ve done so much work in between, but this… I phoned up Mark Charnock actually, who plays Marlon Dingle.
“I told him, ‘I’m really scared,’ and he said it would be weird if I wasn’t, and that it’s only because I care. But I’m in the swing of things now, and I’m definitely settling in.”
Emmerdale are keeping quiet, for now, on what triggers Sadie’s shocking return, and when the scenes will air. What we can reveal is that she brings trouble to the village in classic Sadie fashion, and there’s some big secrets waiting to be discovered too.
She shared: “We will find out what’s happened to her and it’s interesting. It’s not just a one-note portrayal. Things have happened to her over the last 20 years, and we get older, but I can’t say too much.”
Patsy revealed her role isn’t a full-time return to the Dales. She’s only there for six months, with her set to wrap up filming in December. There’s plenty of drama on the way though before she leaves again, with village residents left reeling over her out-of-the-blue return.
It’s hardly surprising, after her devious antics during her two-year stint on the show between 2004 and 2006. From teaming up with Cain Dingle to con her own family, to her involvement in the deadly show home collapse that left three characters dead, she’s earned her status as one of the soap’s most ruthless characters ever.
But the big question is, has Sadie King changed? “Well, obviously it’s been 20 years,” Patsy told us. “We would hope she’s evolved slightly.
“It was quite easy to slip back into Sadie’s shoes, and it’s really interesting the way that it’s been written. She sort of comes in and causes trouble. People will be unsure if she’s a different person now.”
Patsy was thrilled to be asked back by bosses, first confiding the news in her two sons, James, 32, whose father is Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr, and Lennon, 26, who she shares with ex-husband, Oasis star, Liam Gallagher.
Patsy beamed: “They were really happy. They thought it would be a really great thing for me to do, and they have been really supportive.”
While Sadie isn’t expected to get a warm welcome when she steps back into the village, the same cannot be said for Patsy who was welcomed back with open arms.
“It’s been exceptionally nice,” she told us. “It’s a wonderful place to work. The pastoral care here is incredible, the cast, crew, everyone, every department. They really, really put their arms around me and looked after me.”
Patsy loves playing Sadie, so she jumped at the chance to be her again. But she admitted Sadie isn’t someone she’d be keen to know in the real world.
“Oh gosh, no, she’s awful,” laughed Patsy. “But, no, I do love her. You can’t play a character, really, that you hate.
“I think you’ve got to find something in there. Her sheer capability… I’m pathologically polite, and she will say and do things that I would never do in a million years, and get away with, so I can kind of live vicariously through her at times.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .