Emmerdale icon Samantha Giles has revealed her new role as she prepares to leave the soap after 25 years.
Samantha is set to quit her role of Bernice Blackstock for the fourth time following her return in 2021.
But now she will be leaving the village behind as she joins the cast of Cinderella at Bradford's Alhambra Theatre.
Samantha will play the Wicked Stepmother in the pantomime alongside Great British Bake Off winner and Strictly Come Dancing favourite John Whaite, which will run over the festive period from December 9 to January 21, 2024.
Samantha announced her panto news on Instagram where she posted a photo of herself in costume posing next to the Cinderella poster and captioned the image: "Favourite photo from today!"
Samantha made her Emmerdale debut as the former Woolpack landlady in 1998, before leaving in 2002 which saw Bernice accept a job in Brighton following the breakdown of her marriage to Ashley Thomas (John Middleton).
She then made a brief return for Tricia Dingle's (Sheree Murphy) funeral in 2004, before Samantha joined Hollyoaks as Valerie Holden from 2008 to 2010.
Samantha then came back to Emmerdale in 2012 and left seven years later to write a children's book.
In 2021, Samantha returned to the Dales, where she has remained as the feisty businesswoman ever since.
One of Bernice's recent storylines saw her make a drunken attempt to kiss business partner Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) after the pair were at loggerheads since they went into partnership and took over the B&B.
During their unexpected connection, she exposed Bob's partner Wendy Posner's (Susan Cookson) affair with doctor Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) and has been witnessing the pair trying to fix their relationship.
A source told The Sun when Samantha's exit was announced: “Bernice Blackstock has been in and out of Emmerdale village more than they change the barrels at The Woolpack. She’s always welcomed back with open arms by ITV and fans alike, but it’s now becoming a bit of a running joke."
The source added that it is unknown whether Samantha will return to the Dales after her exit later this year.
“It wouldn’t pay to bet on whether Samantha will one day be back, but for now she will leave the soap later this year,” they revealed.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30 pm on ITV1, with a hour-long episode on Thursdays — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITVX.
