Jacqueline Jossa was terrified when she returned to EastEnders.
The I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star feared she’d be a flop when she reprised her role as Lauren Branning after more than four years away.
She said: “I was quite scared. I was like, ‘I can’t remember how to act, I don’t know what I’m doing.’
READ MORE: EastEnders’ star Adam Woodyatt’s huge transformation from Ian Beale character
“I was really nervous. I just felt a bit rusty. I didn’t know whether people were going to see me as Lauren again.
“But then I walked in and saw people like Scott Maslen and Natalie Cassidy and people behind the cameras and straight away I was at home.
(Image: BBC)
“It was the same people… all friendly faces. It was genuinely like being back at home.”
Jacqueline agreed to return to be part of the funeral of her on-screen step-grandmother Dot, who was played by June Brown.
And she’s warning viewers the emotional scenes will be a tough watch.
She said: “June is part of the furniture. She is like family. She is like your nan.
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
“When you watch this episode, it’s like you are watching your grandma die.
“The whole of Britain will feel that when they watch it.”
EastEnders officially confirmed the soap’s returning cast members earlier this year after the dead of June Brown, announcing: “Some of Walford’s classic characters will make a moving return to Albert Square to pay their last respects to Dot Branning this winter.
(Image: BBC)
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“Old friends including Colin Russell, Barry Clark, George ‘Lofty’ Holloway, Mary ‘the punk’ Smith and Disa O’Brien will join Dot’s step-granddaughter Lauren Branning to say goodbye.
“The returning cast are currently filming scenes which will bring viewers up to date with their lives, as they share their cherished memories of Dot.”
The soap account added: “For the actors, it’s also a chance to honour their beloved co-star June Brown, who passed away aged 95 in April this year.”
June left the soap in 2020 after slowly appearing on-screen less frequently after gradually losing her eyesight.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
