Victoria Sugden's future clarified as 'Emmerdale' star breaks silence

Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins has shared an update on whether Victoria Sugden will return to the ITV soap.

Fans have been wondering about Victoria's future after the character suddenly left the village earlier this year. Her exit came after a series of dramatic events, including accidentally causing the death of her brother, John Sugden, and being exposed by Joe Tate.

Before leaving, Victoria told her brother Robert Sugden that she and her son Harry would return. However, some viewers were unsure whether the departure was permanent.

In real life, Isabel left the show to begin maternity leave and has since welcomed her first child.

Speaking on her co-star Danny Miller's podcast You Don't Know You're Born, Isabel suggested that she does plan to return to the soap, although no date has been confirmed.

She explained that becoming a mother has changed her outlook and admitted she is still working out how to balance family life with her career.

"For 20 years, work has been my priority," she said. "To be honest, I still don't know when I'm going back. In my ideal world, it would be September".

The actress also revealed that Emmerdale bosses allowed her to decide how much time she wanted away from the show and did not pressure her to commit to a return date.

Meanwhile, the Sugden family is set to grow during Victoria's absence. Actress Casey Al-Shaqsy is joining Emmerdale as Serena Sugden, a new member of the famous soap family.

Producers have teased that Serena will be involved in major storylines and difficult decisions that will affect some of the village's biggest characters.