Lauren Branning made a shock return to EastEnders, as Jacqueline Jossa appeared back on the BBC One soap tonight.
During tonight's episode, Lauren was seen visiting the Beales, confirming Jacqueline will be making a long awaited return to her role as Lauren for a brief stint on the BBC show, just a few months after she made a one-off return for Dot's funeral.
At the time, Jacqueline said she was thrilled to be back for the scenes, her first since she left back in 2018 to have her second daughter, Mia, with husband Dan Osborne.
Jacqueline said at the time: "Coming back to EastEnders for Dot's funeral was a no-brainer, and it was a real honour to be invited back. I had a lot of fun but, of course, it was bittersweet. It was amazing to be back, but hard to be filming this storyline.
"I can tell the viewers now that Dot gets the beautiful send-off that she deserves. June was the light and joy of EastEnders. I had so much fun working with her, the incredible stories and how infectious & witty she was. June is a legend and I miss her very much."
She had always insisted she would go back to EastEnders one day.
"EastEnders was the best job ever and a huge part of my life - it was the making of me. Lauren was a massive part of my life and I’m not ready to let go. I’ve always said to never say never, but it would have to be the right time for me and the show," she told The Mirror.
"I loved being back on set, although it was bittersweet because we were filming such sad scenes and June was such an amazing part of EastEnders. At the same time, it was beautiful and special. June would have loved it. She was hilarious and she would no doubt have said something funny about it, but she’d have been really proud and happy."
