{"id":452658,"date":"2026-03-01T22:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T22:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/452658\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T22:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T22:27:10","slug":"eastenders-gemma-bissix-reveals-key-difference-between-her-two-iconic-soap-roles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/452658\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders’ Gemma Bissix reveals key difference between her two iconic soap roles"},"content":{"rendered":"

EastEnders spoilers<\/a> follow.<\/p>\n

Gemma Bissix makes her long-awaited return to EastEnders<\/a> next week as Clare Bates, Nigel’s estranged stepdaughter. Clare is set to have an emotional reunion with Nigel, whose dementia has significantly worsened in recent weeks. <\/p>\n

It’s been nearly 18 years since Bissix was last seen on Albert Square but in her time away she’s been busy playing another Clare \u2014 Hollyoaks<\/a>‘ Clare Devine.<\/p>\n

Speaking ahead of her big return to Walford<\/a>, Bissix discussed the differences between her two soap Clares. <\/p>\n

“In Hollyoaks, my character is a murderer and she\u2019s a bit of a villain, so that comes with heightened acting, whereas Clare comes with really raw emotion,” Bissix said. <\/p>\n

\"nigel<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: Best streaming services<\/a><\/p>\n

As for how she got back into character as Clare Bates, Bissix revealed it didn’t take too much. <\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t think there is anything specific I do to get back into Clare, but I feel like Clare is actually very similar to myself,” the actress said. <\/p>\n

“She\u2019s probably one of the only characters that I\u2019ve ever played that is so close to who I am as a person, and that\u2019s probably because when you\u2019re nine years old working on a TV show, you don\u2019t really know anything else, or have much life experience, other than acting your version of that character from a version of your own reality. It\u2019s really nostalgic.”<\/p>\n

Bissix’s childhood stint on EastEnders is probably best remembered for the emotional scene in which Nigel told Clare that her mother Debbie<\/a> had been killed in a hit-and-run accident.<\/p>\n

Speaking about reconnecting with Paul Bradley<\/a>, who plays Nigel, and Karen Henthorn, who plays Julie, Bissix said: “It was a long time coming, and I was just so chuffed because I haven\u2019t seen Paul Bradley in over 20 years and so to be able to reconnect with him and work with him again felt like time had stood still. <\/p>\n

\"clare<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: Hollyoaks to bring back iconic villain after dramatic death storyline<\/a><\/p>\n

“It was like no time had passed at all, and Paul is exactly the same lovely person he was before. Paul was sort of like a stepfather to me in real life at work, as we spent six years on screen together from 1993 to 1999, and Karen and I were close as well. <\/p>\n

“They make me feel like I\u2019m a child again, in the best possible way,” the actress added. <\/p>\n

Bissix went on to say that its been a “privilege” to be involved in Nigel\u2019s dementia storyline. <\/p>\n

“I think it\u2019s a storyline that sadly resonates with so many people and it\u2019s been a real full circle moment for me, as EastEnders is where I learnt my craft as I was on the show from the age of nine,” Bissix added. <\/p>\n

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast. <\/p>\n

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage<\/a><\/p>\n

For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast<\/a> from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode<\/a> delves into next week\u2019s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – featuring Carla and Lisa\u2019s baby shock, Clare Bates\u2019 return and more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EastEnders spoilers follow. Gemma Bissix makes her long-awaited return to EastEnders next week as Clare Bates, Nigel’s estranged…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439065,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[147950,379,163637,381,96,1156,163636,148025,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-452658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-6e962cd1-e044-4b53-baf7-7835865be57d","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-gemma-bissix-shares-key-difference-between-iconic-soap-roles","tag-subsection-eastenders","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}