Jacqueline Jossa had a surprise reunion with her former EastEnders co-star Natalie Cassidy on Sunday.
The actress, 30, played Lauren Branning on the BBC soap opera from 2010 until 2018 and took to Instagram over the weekend to share that she had bumped into her on-screen cousin – who has starred as Sonia Fowler for on and off for three decades – by chance.
Captioning the shot, she wrote: ‘Bumped into cousin Sonia @natcass1 Adore you!’
Natalie was pictured in a dark green jacket whilst Jacqueline kept things simple with a plain grey T-shirt.
Both actresses adopted a natural look for the selfie with their dark locks scooped away from their faces as they smiled for their fans on a night out.
Back together: Jacqueline Jossa and Natalie Cassidy drove EastEnders fans with a surprise reunion
Fans of the show were clearly excited at the reunion of the two stars as they rushed to comment on the happy post.
One wrote: ‘Fantastic photo of both of you’ and another said: ‘You two lovely ladies look absolutely gorgeous!’
Natalie herself got involved in the comments as she wrote ‘Love you’ and a slew of other famous faces shared their excitement as well.
Danielle Harold – who recently won a National Television Award for her portrayal of the tragic Lola Pearce on the soap – left two heart-eyed emojis in the comments.
Celebrity hairstylist James Johnson labelled the two actresses as ‘icons’.
Jacqueline went on to win I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here after leaving the soap in 2018 and returned for the funeral of Dot Cotton last year, whilst Natalie is still a part of the show today.
However, Jacqueline has teased that she would go back to the show on a full-time basis despite being ‘nervous’ when she stepped back on set for the first time.
On set: Jacqueline returned to Albert Square to reprise her role as Lauren Branning earlier this year
Long-serving character: Natalie has played Sonia Fowler on the BBC soap opera on a sporadic basis since 1993
She said: ‘When I went back recently I was nervous, but I was literally like: “I could stay here forever”. I love it. This is the best job in the world.
“I’ve really realised that that’s where I am my happiest and my passion and enjoyment comes from that side of things.’
Jacqueline – who now earns a living as an Instagram influencer – explained that she was feeling the need to be ‘creative’ again in her career.
She said: ‘Since going back to EastEnders I’ve had that little fire in my belly again, like there is that part of me that isn’t fulfilled anymore, that creative side.’
