Chelsee Healey will reprise her role as Janeece Bryant in Waterloo Road as the show approaches its 20th anniversary. Chelsee first joined the soap in 2006, quickly becoming a fan-favourite character.
After leaving the show in 2012, Healey briefly returned in 2023, when Janeece attended for the funeral of Chlo Thomas.
Healey is back as a regular cast member alongside newcomer Lauren Hylton as her on-screen daughter Cheryl, a new student at Waterloo Road.
Dan Ollerhead/Rope Ladder Fiction/Wall to Wall//BBC
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Speaking about her return, she said: “I honestly feel like I’m coming home, stepping back into Waterloo Road as Janeece. She’s still as fierce and funny as ever, but now she’s Mummy Janeece – I can’t wait for everyone to see what she’s been up to.”
Cameron Roach, founder of Rope Ladder Fiction and executive producer for Waterloo Road, said: “This is a real coming-of-age moment for Waterloo Road, a show that we believe can continue to refresh itself for a new generation.
“As we celebrate this 20th anniversary, we’re thrilled to announce that Chelsee Healey will be returning to the show as Janeece. Janeece truly reflects the spirit and humour of the show, and the common thread that unites the many generations of the show.”
Helen Williams//BBC
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Several newcomers are joining the soap, including Happy Valley and Coronation Street star Mollie Winnard, Prey for the Devil’s Cora Kirk, and Testament’s Tashinga Bepete. They will all appear as a wave of newly qualified teachers.
New students include Leo Ashton, Callum Broome, Yousef Naseer, Lewis Pemberton, and Keelan Wright.
Waterloo Road airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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