Hollyoaks has confirmed that Kirsty-Leigh Porter has returned to filming as Leela Lomax.
The actress took a break from the show last year after going on maternity leave – returning briefly for the resolution to the flashforward episode – and welcomed a baby girl called Nala Rai with partner Paul Barber in December.
The soap has now released a first picture of Kirsty-Leigh back on set, appearing alongside Sid Sumner (Billy Price) ahead of her comeback in the coming weeks.
Related: 14 huge Hollyoaks spoilers for next week
With the two together, the show has also hinted at a possible storyline ahead for the pair – after all, Sid has been living with and raised by the Lomaxes since the death of his racist father.
Kirsty-Leigh originally joined Hollyoaks back in 2013 as a member of the Lomax family and half-sister to Ste Hay.
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The actress revealed her daughter's name back in March, sharing an Instagram Story with the words: "So grateful for you. I'm so glad you chose me to be your mummy Nala Rai."
Kirsty-Leigh confirmed she gave birth last year with a black-and-white picture of Paul carrying a car seat with the baby out of the hospital.
Back in January 2019, she shared the sad news that she and Paul had lost a baby daughter after she was delivered stillborn.
"Our beautiful baby girl, Penny-Leigh Barber was born sleeping on the 21st of December 2018 at 6.49am, 29 weeks & 3 days young," she wrote at the time.
"My heart has never felt pain like it. Sleep sweetly our angel. We will always love you. Love your Mummy & Daddy. My Everything."
Hollyoaks airs new episodes from Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look screenings at 7pm on E4. Selected omnibus episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video.
Sands supports anyone affected by the death of a baby. You can contact the Sands National Helpline on 0808 164 3332, or email helpline@sands.org.uk.
