Former EastEnders star Karen Henthorn is returning to the soap as Julie Bates 27 years after she last graced Walford.

This summer, Karen Henthorn will be returning to EastEnders as Nigel Bates’ wife, Julie Bates.

Julie Bates was last seen on our screens in 1998 when she left Walford to move to Scotland with Nigel.

Nigel left Julie last year without giving her a reason, with Nigel then turning up in Walford and living with his old mate Phil Mitchell.

Helping Phil with his mental health struggles, Phil then repaid the favour by supporting Nigel through his dementia journey.

Recently speaking about Julie, Nigel told Phil that he didn’t want to tell Julie about his dementia and feel like a burden to her.

But, now, Julie’s about to set out on a search for Nigel, leading to a reunion on Albert Square as she discovers the real reason as to why he left.

New EastEnders producer Ben Wadey who recently took over from Chris Clenshaw spoke on Karen’s return as Julie, sharing: “We are delighted to have Karen Henthorn returning to reprise her role as Julie, who arrives looking for Nigel. Julie hasn’t seen Nigel in almost two years and is unaware of his diagnosis and reasons for leaving, so her arrival will pose questions for the pair of them.”

Actress Karen Henthorn also teased: “It’s very surreal to be back in Albert Square after 27 years and working with the delightful Paul Bradley again – it’s scary how fast the time has gone! Julie has got some awful surprises ahead of her after the initial relief she feels to discover Nigel is still alive. It’s been great to film with Paul and Steve (McFadden), who are such lovely actors, as Julie discovers Nigel’s dementia diagnosis and why he chose to hide it from her.”