Former Hollyoaks actress Gemma Merna is set to return to television after landing a role in the Sky One series Brassic, alongside Michelle Keegan. The 38-year-old, best known for playing Carmel McQueen in the Channel 4 soap from 2006 until 2014, will join the show's upcoming fourth series.
Merna's character was killed off in a dramatic train explosion during her final Hollyoaks storyline. Since leaving the soap, she has made sporadic acting appearances, including a 2017 episode of Doctors, as well as taking part in reality shows such as All Star Family Fortunes, Splash! and Virtually Famous.
The actress confirmed her return to filming earlier this year with a mirror selfie on Instagram. Wearing a blue denim jumpsuit and black spectacles, she wrote: "Excited to get back filming. Wish me luck #actor #actress #filming #filmingday #grateful #cantwait #actorslife." Her 120,000 followers congratulated her, though many were eager to learn which project she had joined.
Brassic, which first premiered in August 2019, stars Joe Gilgun, Damien Molony, Tom Hanson, Aaron Heffernan and Ryan Sampson, with Michelle Keegan playing Erin Croft since the beginning. Series four is currently in production, but the exact part Merna will play has not yet been revealed.
Alongside her acting career, Merna has also trained as a yoga and meditation teacher. Her Instagram bio describes her as an "Accredited Mind & Wellness Coach, Yoga Teacher, Meditation Teacher," and she runs a side venture called Mind and Wellness. The official website asks: "We regularly exercise our body, but what about our minds? The Mind and Wellness membership is essentially the gym membership for your mind!"
