Emmerdale’s April Windsor actress Amelia Flanagan told The Mirror at the British Soap Awards all about a return to the ITV soap, which had been announced by bosses a while back
One Emmerdale favourite’s return to the show could be imminent, with Amelia Flanagan who plays April Windsor spilling all.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, the actress, who won the award for Best Young Performer at this year’s event, finally spoke out about the big news that a comeback was on the cards. The return had been announced by boss Laura Shaw months ago, but no details were given and no date was revealed either.
April star Amelia has spoken for the first time about the looming return of Dylan Penders, played by actor Fred Kettle. The character debuted earlier this year as part of the teen’s huge storyline that saw her living on the streets after running away from home.
Dylan ended up following April to the village but after an overdose, he went to rehab and appeared to leave the show. The character proved a hit with fans though, and bosses decided to bring him back.
It’s now thought he will cause trouble for April and will feature in a big storyline in the village. He appeared to be filming already too which means he could be back onscreen within weeks.
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Speaking to us about the return for the first some, Amelia shared she was thrilled and was excited to explore Dylan and April further. She also teased there was some “big” stuff ahead, while revealing all on growing up on the soap after more than 11 years in the role.
Amelia told us: “April has had an incredibly tough year with what she has been through, with the pregnancy and the homelessness storyline. April and Dylan didn’t leave things on the best terms, but I think what is important now is that he’s back.
“Who knows what will happen. It will be great to explore that relationship further, I think fans want to see that which is great.” Viewers have seen April having a tough time recently, struggling to adjust to life back in the village after the heartbreaking stillbirth if her daughter.
Her and her dad Marlon Dingle have been at each other’s throats for months, with Marlon struggling to get through to her and April trying to find her way. But there’s positive scenes ahead, with “big” storylines teased too.
Amelia told us: “I think hopefully the future is looking bright for all of them. They have been through so much with recent events. She’s been dealt a hard hand in life in the last year or so, and we’re gonna see more of April’s journey.
“She has been in the village for a long time now. She’s been growing as a person and it’s an incredible thing to explore with the show. I am excited for the bigger storylines to stick my teeth into.”
On her time on the show, she added: “I’ve been on the show for 11 and a half years now. It’s been a long time. With April’s journey, so much has happened, it’s important to remember what has led her to be the way she is now, as far back as Donna’s death. I think it’s brilliant exploring new things.”
Amelia also praised her co-star Mike Parr, who plays Ross Barton, for his support towards her. She said: “Ross is like a big brother to April and it’s very true to real life. I always say Mike is like a big brother. I love him to pieces, he’s incredible and we have the best time together. Hopefully we see more of them onscreen.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
