Gemma Atkinson has appeared in the likes of Emmerdale and Hollyoaks over the years
Gemma Atkinson addresses soap return after being asked back ‘quite a few times’(Image: ITV)
Gemma Atkinson has revealed if a soap return is on the cards for her.
The TV favourite first gained recognition as Lisa Hunter on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2005, with a brief comeback in 2022.
Since then, she’s graced our screens in shows like The Bill, and Waterloo Road. And in 2015, she joined ITV’s Emmerdale playing Carly Hope.
During her stint on the soap as Carly, Gemma was involved in some big storylines – from the heartbreaking revelation that her baby boy, Billy, passed away from sudden infant death to her turbulent romance with Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock).
After two years though, Gemma left the soap in 2017 – and she has remained booked and busy ever since, appearing on Strictly in 2017 and her own reality show with partner Gorka Márquez, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens.
And during a recent episode of her podcast, Lost in Translation, that she co-hosts with Gorka, Gemma was quizzed on whether she would ever head back into the world of soaps.
Asking Gemma a question from a viewer, Gorka said: “Would Gemma go back to acting in soaps or acting in general?”
Gemma then replied: “I would. I wouldn’t be able to do soaps again. Hollyoaks kindly asked me back a few times and I love Hollyoaks.” She explained: “The thing with soaps, I love them, but you have to be on call for 24/7 unless you specifically book time off.
“You could have a random Thursday off in the schedule but they’ll ring and say ‘we’re planning to do exterior scenes but it’s chucking it down and we’ve changed it. We’re interior now, you’re in’.”
Gemma, who is a mum to daughter named Mia born in 2019 and a son named Thiago (born in July 2023 – went on: “With kids and juggling that, it would be too stressful and I wouldn’t want to.”
Nonetheless, Gemma added “However, if it was like a one-off drama, whereby they said ‘you start the 10th of May you finish the 10th of June’, 100% because there’s a start and end and I would love it.”
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX