Former Brookside and Waterloo Road star Nicola Stephenson is rejoining the soap world with a new role on Emmerdale.
The actress is being introduced to the ITV soap as a new character called Tess, a teaching assistant who will cross paths with Paddy Kirk.
Nicola Stephenson
© ITV
Nicola Stephenson
Little more is known about Tess at this stage, but show bosses have teased that she is a good-natured and warm character whose life will take an unexpected turn when she meets Paddy.
Speaking of her new role, Stephenson commented: "I'm thrilled to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. It's a British institution and I'm very excited about the storylines that they have planned for my character."
Emmerdale's series producer Kate Oates added: "I am delighted to welcome an actress of Nicola's calibre to the show. We are keeping the exact details of Tess's storyline under wraps, but it is safe to say she will mix things up in the village."
Stephenson previously played the role of Brookside's Margaret Clemence, who famously shared UK TV's first pre-watershed lesbian kiss with Anna Friel's character Beth Jordache in 1994.
More recently, she portrayed Waterloo Road's art teacher Allie Westbrook and had a starring role in ITV's Safe House.
Read more: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s1...#ixzz3jLXsZPy9