Emmerdale - Charity TateAs if Charity Tate's return to Emmerdale wasn't shocking enough.

Actress Emma Atkins has admitted she is only making a comeback because she couldn't find work anywhere else.

Charming.

Charity Tate left the rural supersoap back in 2005 after her crazy lovelife spiralled hideously out of control. One of the show's uber-bitches, Charity fled the village with a whole heap of her ex-lover's cash and her baby son Noah in tow.

But like the demoralising fate of many an ex-soap star, Emma has admitted she struggled to find work in the 'real' world.

"I did bits and bobs but it was not like working on a soap. It made me realise how lucky we are in a soap to have regular work and a routine," she said.

While the idea of sitting around all day doing very little might appeal to a large percentage of us, it appears it's not all it's cracked up to be.

"I did a bit of theatre and that but honestly I also sat at home eating poached eggs on toast, watching TV and getting stuck into the net. I defy any actress to admit that it's hard you're 'resting'."

She added: "I quit the show as I felt at the time I wanted to try other things. Charity was my first big job out of drama school and you want to see if you can play someone else.

“But I missed her all the time. She was my creation, love her or loathe her."

Emma will begin filming her comeback scenes this summer and reckons there will be more than a few surprises along the way: "people will be surprised," she hinted.

Find out when Emmerdale is on TV.