Gemma Atkinson has confirmed that she will not return to a permanent soap role, despite being asked back by Hollyoaks bosses. The 41-year-old actress, known for playing Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2005 and Carly Hope in Emmerdale from 2015 to 2017, cited the demanding schedule and her family commitments as the main reasons.
Why Gemma Won't Return to Soaps
Speaking on the podcast Lost in Translation, which she co-hosts with her fiancé Gorka Marquez, Gemma said: "Hollyoaks kindly asked me back a few times, and I love Hollyoaks, forever grateful for [it] – it’s because of that soap I’m where I am now." However, she explained that being a mother to Mia, six, and Thiago, two, makes a soap role unfeasible. "I wouldn’t be able to do a soap again… The thing is with soaps, you have to be on call 24/7 unless you specifically book time off. We had to have in my contracts with Hollyoaks, Emmerdale and Casualty that you had to be within an hour of the studio all the time unless you’d book time off."
Preference for Fixed-Term Projects
Gemma revealed that she now prefers jobs with a "start date and an end date," as it allows her to arrange childcare in advance. While she has focused on presenting in recent years, she did not rule out acting entirely, noting that a drama with a clear filming period could work. She briefly reprised her Hollyoaks role in 2022, 16 years after her initial departure.
Open to I'm a Celebrity Return
Last month, Gemma expressed interest in returning to I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, which she first participated in 2007. She finished in fifth place in the jungle, behind Christopher Biggins, Janice Dickinson, Jason 'J' Brown, and Cerys Matthews. Speaking to OK! Magazine, she said: "I’m nearly 42 now, so it was a long time ago. To go back in as a more mature woman, I’d love that." She also supported friend Adam Thomas during the recent All Stars series in South Africa, calling him "the kindest soul."
