Former EastEnders star Kellie Shirley is making her return to television with a role in the BBC medical drama Casualty, 12 years after leaving Albert Square. The actress, best known for playing Carly Wicks, has taken on the part of nurse Sophia Peters.
Shirley discussed her new role on ITV's Lorraine, where she revealed the emotional challenges of filming her first scenes. She explained that her storyline involved the death of a baby, which was particularly difficult as she had recently given birth and had her six-month-old child on set.
“It was really hard to play these scenes because I was thinking my role as a nurse you have to be very professional,” Shirley said. “But for me, I was a bit of a mess because I had my baby in my dressing room when I was going in-between takes and feeding him and then having this little baby on set.”
Shirley originally appeared on EastEnders from 2006 to 2008 as Carly Wicks, the daughter of Shirley Carter. She made a brief return in 2012 to repair her character's relationship with her mother.
Casualty airs on Saturday 27 July on BBC One and is also available on iPlayer.
