Emmerdale star Lisa Riley demands for former favourite to return to ITV soap

19 June 2023 , 04:27

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Lisa Riley has called for a former Emmerdale favourite to return (Image: ITV)

Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley has called for a former favourite of the ITV soap opera to return to the show.

Lisa, who plays Mandy Dingle, opened what she would do if she was in charge of planning at the long-running programme.

Lisa, 46, returned to the soap in 2019 after bursting into the limelight as hell-raising Mandy in 1995. Her initial stint lasted for five years before briefly coming back in November 2001.

However, she believes that the show could do with the return of good friend Adele Silva, who was cast as Mandy''s best friend Kelly Windsor during the 1990s.

Adele Silva has played Kelly Windsor on and off for the best part of 30 years (ITV)

Speaking to Inside Soap, she said: "I want Kelly Windsor back! And I think it would work because she has a link to Jimmy [King]. She was Mandy’s best friend, and me and Adele Silva are still really close.

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"I think she’s a great actress and there’s a lot of untold stories there. For example, what did Kelly and Mandy get up to when I wasn’t in the show for all those years?"

Silva, now 42, made her debut as Kelly as a teenager at in 1993 and remained on the Dales for seven years before departing in 2000. She returned in 2005 for a two year spell before coming back in 2011 for a three-month stint.

Silva did not rule out the possibility of a return to The Woolpack during an interview with The Sun last November.

The actress wants character Mandy Dingle to reunite with her best friend (ITV)

She said: "Obviously Kelly’s son is there and she’s not seen him for years. Then there’s little April. You can imagine Marlon’s face if her auntie Kelly turned up. He’d be horrified.

"Mandy was Kelly’s best friend and there’s the history she has with Kim Tate. I just love Kim, you always know she’s going to be at the heart of an incredible storyline."

Lisa is riding the crest of a wave in her personal life as she shared a very rare photo of her fiancé with a romantic holiday in New York City.

She delighted her fans by sharing a glimpse into her love life with partner Al, who she has been in a relationship with since 2014.

The soap star took to Instagram to share a cute couples photo of herself and Al taking in the sights and sounds of the Big Apple as they posed for a quick selfie during a wander around the famous streets.

Smiling from ear-to-ear alongside her beau, Lisa looked on top of the world on her American getaway.

Josh Luckhurst