Claire Cooper is returning to Hollyoaks.
The actress, 43, played feisty Jacqui McQueen on the Channel 4 soap opera from 2006 until 2013 and the character left for Spain after managing to con a local gangster out of £50,000, but will make a comeback amid the sudden disappearance of her sister Mercedes – played Jennifer Metcalfe.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Bosses know that fans want to see their favourite characters from the soap’s long history and Jacqui was on the top of the wish list.
‘She’s iconic and feisty and it’s going to be a true pre-Christmas treat for fans to see what she’s been up to.
‘Mercedes has vanished and the family are desperate to find her.’
Comeback Claire:Hollyoaks legend Claire Cooper is to return as Jacqui McQueen 10 years after making a shock exit
The insider went on to add that it will soon become ‘very clear’ to viewers that Jacqui is involved in her sister’s mystery disappearance and teased that even more members of the infamous soap clan will be heading back to the Chester village.
The source added: ‘It soon becomes clear that Jacqui is involved. And she’s not the only McQueen return on the cards with bosses making rebuilding the family as a priority’.’
But Claire – who in real life is married to fellow Hollyoaks star Emmett J. Scanlan – will only be making a one-off appearance in the serial.
However, the outlet went on to claim that the door is ‘very much left open’ for another comeback in the future.
During her time on the soap, Jacqui embarked on a relationship with Rhys Ashworth, played by Andrew Moss, until he was killed off in a shock wedding day crash in 2012.
Prior to that, she was also at the centre of a highly-publicised rape storyline two years earlier.
Soap bubble: Jacqui had a relationship with Rhys Ashworth – played by Andrew Moss – from 2010 until he was killed off two years later (pictured in 2011)
‘Iconic’: the actress (pictured with co-star Andrew Moss in 2011) has been hailed as a classic character
Since leaving the show, Claire has starred in Kay Mellor drama In the Club, and appears in the upcoming miniseries The Continental: From the World of John Wick for Amazon Prime.
At the time of her exit, Claire explained she had decided to leave the soap – which in 2022 announced its decision to stream episodes before broadcast – but had loved playing someone so different to her.
She told Inside Soap: ‘I handed in my notice over a year ago, but I’ve had to wait for certain things to play out on screen before I could go.
‘I loved every minute of playing Jacqui McQueen – it’s been incredible.
‘Usually when you’re in a soap, you play someone who’s quite similar to yourself. It’s been great for me to play someone who’s completely different from what I’m like in real life.
Dramatic: Jacqui was at the centre of a massive rape storyline in 2010 where the viewers were encouraged to become the jury
