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EastEnders Star Returns After 20 Years for Dementia Storyline
20 Feb
Summary
- Actress Gemma Bissix returns to EastEnders after nearly 20 years.
- Her character, Clare Bates, reprises her role for Nigel's dementia storyline.
- The return aims to explore the complex stepfather-daughter relationship.
EastEnders star Gemma Bissix will return to the BBC soap as Clare Bates, nearly two decades after her initial departure. Bissix, who first joined the show at age nine in 1993, last appeared in 2008 before leaving Albert Square in 1998.
Her upcoming return is for a short stint this spring, focusing on her stepdad Nigel's dementia storyline. Clare, estranged from Nigel, will be drawn back to Walford upon learning of his deteriorating health. The narrative will explore her shock at confronting his fragility and the reality of his prognosis.
Executive Producer Ben Wadey highlighted the importance of revisiting the complicated stepfather-daughter relationship as Nigel's dementia progresses. EastEnders has collaborated with Dementia UK to ensure an accurate and sensitive portrayal of the illness.
