Emmerdale is poised to broadcast the comeback of Bernice Blackstock as actress Samantha Giles returns to her character following a two-year hiatus from the ITV drama.

Bernice made her debut in Emmerdale during November 1998. Since her initial appearance in the village, Bernice has departed on three separate occasions, with her most recent exit taking place in 2023.

Prior to her departure from the village, Bernice was exposed for securing a loan using her sister Nicola King’s (portrayed by Nicola Wheeler) identity, which led to bailiffs arriving unexpectedly at her residence. Upon learning of her sister’s deception, Nicola warned she would involve the authorities.

Fearing her sibling would file criminal charges, Bernice went underground before arranging a taxi for her getaway, leaving Nicola and her daughter Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) appalled. She experienced a moment of doubt after Gabby’s criticism and subsequently attempted to justify her actions.

Whilst Bernice ultimately agreed to a BandB arrangement that provided Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) with a fresh business associate, she disclosed she was still departing the village due to shattering her family’s confidence yet again, devastating her father, Rodney (Patrick Mower), reports the Daily Star.

Bernice was taken aback when Bob confessed he would feel her absence, reminding her that “life’s too short” for bearing resentment. She subsequently departed the Dales and embarked on a journey to Portugal for a fresh start, where she reconciled with her mother, Dianne.

Two years after her dramatic departure, Bernice is making a return to Emmerdale just in time for Gabby’s wedding to Vinny Dingle, played by Bradley Johnson.

Actress Samantha Giles, who has been a fixture on Emmerdale for many years, has had a successful television career since 1994 when she first appeared on Coronation Street.

She portrayed Kirsty, Angela Hawthorne’s secretary, for a year before bidding farewell to Weatherfield for good.

During her break from Emmerdale, she took on the role of nurse Sally Boothe in Where the Heart Is, where she struck up a friendship with her Emmerdale co-star Lesley Dunlop on set.

Samantha can also add another soap to her repertoire. She was part of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks from 2008 until 2012, playing Valerie Holden.

She stepped into the role, replacing actress Jacqueline Leonard, and featured in the drama-packed show for 35 episodes.

In an August 2020 interview with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on This Morning, Samantha disclosed that she practises witchcraft.

Eamonn queried the soap star: “Now Samantha, you are a witch in real life?”. The mother of two responded: “Well yes, sort of. It sounds a bit weird to say that, doesn’t it? But I follow Wicca and I do do spells sometimes and I make spells for other people”.

Ruth then enquired: “Where did that all start for you, when did get interested in that? Tell people what a Wiccan witch is.”

Samantha explained: “Wicca – it’s like a religion in one way, it’s a following so it’s mostly about nature and following the natural cycle of the Earth.

“Harnessing the power of nature to use them in spells to manifest things you want to change in your life, perhaps.”

However, she quickly clarified: “You don’t necessarily have to do spells to follow Wicca”.

She revealed to The Mirror that she used a love spell to meet her husband Sean Pritchard in 2005.

In 2010, Samantha, a self-proclaimed white witch, married Sean after casting a love spell.

Speaking to OK! in 2020, she said: “I met him three months after the spell. It’s about things being aligned. Sometimes people say to me, ‘I put this thought out there and it didn’t work!’ But sometimes things aren’t in the right place so you have to let them go until it’s time.”

She further explained to the Mirror how she uses candles and crystals for spells and writes down exactly what she wants.

“I wrote down exactly what I was after. Then I met Sean and he was exactly what I had written,” she said. “It’s as if he appeared by magic! You have to be very specific about what you’re looking for, and one thing I forgot to put down was for him to be older than me. I put taller, as well as details about his personality and morality.”

She added: “Then when I met Sean and we started seeing each other, he was two-and-a-half years younger than me. I thought, ‘This feels a bit weird’, but it didn’t take me long to get over it.”

Samantha isn’t only a gifted actress, but she’s also made her mark as a successful children’s author. She has penned two books titled Rosemary and The Witches of Pendle Hill and Rosemary and the Book of the Dead.

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and available to stream from 7am on ITVX