Emmerdale SPOILER: Bernice Blackstock will make her grand return to the Yorkshire Dales

Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) is set to make her grand return to Emmerdale on Monday.

The ex-girlfriend of Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson), Bernice hasn’t been seen in the Yorkshire Dales since 2019, when she dumped Liam the night before their wedding and disappeared.

Liam has since moved on with Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi), but just as Liam and Leyla’s romance is finally back on track with a wedding on the way, Bernice returns to the village.

Bernice left hurriedly for Australia to look after her former husband, Charlie, who had been involved in an accident.

But now she’s back, and about to make life complicated for Liam and Leyla.

Broken-hearted Liam took time to recover after his ex-fiancée disappeared and is likely to be furious that she is returning just as he gets his life together.

As for Bernice’s daughter Gabby (Rosie Bentham) – who is pregnant – she, too, is unlikely to be thrilled that her unreliable mother has returned, especially when she’s flourishing at Home Farm under the guidance of Kim Tate (Claire King).

Speaking about actress Samantha’s return to the soap, Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said: ‘I am thrilled to have Samantha Giles returning to Emmerdale as Bernice.

‘Samantha is such a fabulous actress and her portrayal of Bernice is a wonderfully warm, complex mix of tragedy and comedy that always brings a whirlwind of fun and drama.’

She added: ‘Constantly misunderstood, often getting things terribly wrong, Bernice promises to cause quite a stir from the moment she lands back in the village and will certainly turn lives upside down as she tries to navigate through the changes since she left.’

Opening up about her decision to return to the Yorkshire Dales, Samantha added: ‘As an actress leaving a role that you love is always a hard decision and I’d been lucky to work so consistently for so long which is rare in our business.’

She continued: ‘So I knew the time had come to be brave and take the leap back in 2019 to pursue my other passion of writing and focus on getting my first book published.

‘I’m a big believer in fate so when Emmerdale offered me the chance to return as Bernice I took it as a sign that it was meant to be.’

Samantha concluded: ‘I’m delighted to be returning to play out Bernice’s future storylines which I’m sure are going to keep the audience entertained.

‘She certainly arrives back with a bang that’s all I’m allowed to say right now and I’m looking forward to releasing my next two books whilst juggling her hectic onscreen life!’