Emmerdale star Amy Walsh confirms she is returning to ITV soap after 18-month absence

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Amy Walsh is returning to Emmerdale 18-months after she left, returning from maternity leave following birth of her daughter Bonnie

Emmerdale star Amy Walsh has confirmed she is returning to ITV soap after an 18-month break. The 36-year-old played Tracy Metcalfe in the soap but left in January 2022 after her character accepted a job offer in Nottingham.

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Her departure in the soap was only going to be temporary, as in real life, she headed on maternity leave following the birth of her first child Bonnie, who she shares with EastEnders’ Toby-Alexander Smith.

Metcalfe was one of the most popular characters on the soap, and announced she is returning to the soap. On Instagram, she said: "Morning snuggles before mama goes to work this morning. For all the parents out there going back to work and leaving their babies...stay strong, we’ve got this.”

A few hours after posting her Instagram story, she shared a snap from the Emmerdale set alongside co-star Roxi Shahidi, who plays Leyla Harding, with the caption saying “Throwing down on our lunch break just like the old days was the highlight of my day.”

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Tracy delighted fans when she briefly returned to the Dales in October last year to mark the show’s 50th anniversary. Explaining her return, Amy admitted she was thrilled to be invited back but wasn’t ready to return permanently.

She said: “It was lovely to be invited back for the 50th. When I was going on maternity leave Jane (Hudson), the executive producer, mentioned it was all happening around August and September and said if I wanted to be a part of it to let her know but when it came to it, I just wasn’t ready to come back full-time.

“She very kindly offered to write me in and back out again so I didn’t have to cut my maternity leave short but I still didn’t miss out on the 50th celebrations so it was win-win!”

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