Jacqueline Jossa may be returning to Albert Square in a major EastEnders comeback after speaking with the show’s boss. Earlier this year, the BBC soap aired an episode centred on Dot Cotton’s funeral, following the death of June Brown, who died in April this year at the age of 95. June first played Dot from 1985 to 1993, then again from 1997 to 2020. Jacqueline, 30, was one of several former EastEnders stars who returned to the show as Dot’s step-granddaughter Lauren Branning to pay tribute to their late co-star. According to a new report, she appears to be planning a larger return in the near future. The actress ‘hugely enjoyed reprising her role as Lauren for Dot’s funeral,’ according to a source. ‘EastEnders was a huge part of her life, and she adores her character,’ a source told The Sun. When she returned to filming, she spoke with EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw and stated that she would be open to Lauren returning to Walford. Obviously, it all depends on the storylines, and obviously, Jacqueline would have to fit it around her family life.’ However, because both of Jacqueline’s daughters are older, this could play a role in her return, according to the source. They went on to say that being back on set’made her realise just how much she missed EastEnders’. ‘She hopes that something can be arranged for Lauren and that she will be able to return full time at some point in the future,’ they claimed. During a recent Instagram Q&A, a fan asked if the actress would ever return to the soap on a full-time basis, to which she replied, ‘I loved being back, and was so happy with you lot in my DMs, maybe one day.’ From 2010 to 2018, Jacqueline played Lauren on EastEnders, a role for which she was nominated and won several awards, including best actress at the Inside Soap Awards in 2013. She won the 19th series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in the jungle in 2019, shortly after leaving the soap, a year before the show briefly relocated to Gwrych Castle in Wales. Since 2017, she has been married to reality star Dan Osborne, with whom she has two daughters, Ella and Mia. Dan, 31, also has a son from a previous relationship named Teddy.
