Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson would return as Lisa Hunter for "the odd appearance"
Hollyoaks is re-airing classic episodes at the moment, with next week's throwbacks focusing on Lisa Hunter, played by Gemma Atkinson.
The groundbreaking episodes from the early 2000s see Lisa self-harm after discovering that her boyfriend Brian (Jonathan Le Billon) has been keeping secrets from her.
To mark the episodes being shown again on E4, Digital Spy spoke to the actress – who later went on to star in the likes of Emmerdale and Strictly Come Dancing – to reflect on the storyline and ask if she'd ever make a comeback as Lisa.
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"I'd definitely return for the odd appearance," the Hits Radio presenter said, adding: "Lisa was a great character to play.
"I couldn't do it full time as I love my job on the radio because I get to actually live in my house as opposed to hotels and commutes! I also have my training app which has just launched my second program, my gym line is in full swing and I'm writing my second book so I'm quite busy at the moment."
On Lisa's big scenes being aired again, Gemma added: "I'm thrilled Hollyoaks is doing a rerun of these episodes. I think it’ll be a lovely trip down memory lane. It's because of the show I'm where I am now so I'm thrilled Lisa is making an appearance again.
"I remember at the time the storyline was really intense in that we all wanted to get it right so there was a lot of back and forth with the channel and research. I was actually able to spend an afternoon with a girl who used to self-harm and she opened up to me about her reasons why and how she felt, which was a massive help.
"I think at the time we were unaware how many people it actually helped. There was no social media so it was letters from people that arrived at the studio and people in the street who approached me. I'm so happy it managed to help people and I hope the second time around it'll help even more people."
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Gemma said that she is still in a WhatsApp group with some of her former co-stars, and met up with Kelly Condron and Helen Noble, who played Zara Morgan and Abby Davies respectively, just before lockdown.
Speaking of which, Gemma said of the past few months: "We've actually really enjoyed the peace and quiet of lockdown and having Gorka [Marquez] at home has been lovely.
"I'm fortunate I've continued to work from home on the radio and we have a gym at home too so we've been able to continue training which has been a massive help!"
Hollyoaks@25 will rerun Lisa's storyline from Monday, August 3 at 7pm on E4.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
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