Emmerdale legend’s return ‘sealed’ as Lisa Riley calls for comeback after 15 years
Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley has sparked fan excitement by hoping for a former legend’s return to the Dales
Emmerdale fans are convinced that a beloved soap favourite is set to make a comeback to the Dales — and even Lisa Riley herself is championing their return.
Lisa has portrayed Mandy Dingle on the ITV soap for many years, witnessing numerous actors come and go, from her on-screen uncle Zak Dingle (played by Steve Halliwell) to her cousin/ex-husband Butch Dingle (Paul Loughran).
This week, she reunited with former Dales legend Adele Silva, sending fans into a frenzy over the prospect of the Kelly Windsor actress making a highly anticipated return.
As viewers will remember, Adele first joined the ITV soap as Kelly back in 1993, introduced as the half-sister of Donna Windsor (Verity Rushworth), who met a tragic end in 2014.
Adele remained on the soap as Kelly until 2000, before returning in 2005 for a two-year spell and again in 2011 for a three-month appearance. Throughout her time on the show, she embarked on several ill-fated romances with fellow villagers, reports the Daily Star.
She reunited with former co-star Adele (Image: ITV)
These included Roy Glover (Nicky Evans), teacher Tom Bainbridge (Jeremy Turner-Welch) and Jimmy King (Nick Miles), to whom she became engaged. However, in 2011, Kelly bid a final farewell to the village.
Following her departure from the ITV soap, Adele went on to take roles in Hollyoaks as Angela Brown, the film How To Stop Being A Loser starring Richard E. Grant and Martin Compston, Casualty, and the gangster flick We Still Kill the Old Way. This week, however, Lisa shared a reunion photo with Adele on Instagram, sending fans into a frenzy at the prospect of her making a comeback, with Lisa herself keen to see Adele return.
Lisa captioned the post: “Our quarterly catchup @silvaliningx it’s always gorg-we never seem to come for air nattering-great food at our favourite in Alwoodley #Gallio truly the BEST Fajita’s in #leeds incredible!!! besties for life!! #friends #friendsforlife #catchup.”
Fans are predicting a Kelly return (Image: ITV)
Fans immediately went wild over the reunion snap. One commented: “Would love to see you back in Emmerdale Adele.” Lisa replied: “Me too!!” A second fan agreed: “We so need Mandy and Kelly back!!” Lisa again said: “It would be incredible wouldn’t it??” A third chimed in: “Bring back Kelly Windsor.”
Back in 2023, Lisa spoke to Inside Soap and declared it was high time Adele made her return to the ITV soap. She shared: “I want Kelly Windsor back!
“And I think it would work because she has a link to Jimmy [King]. She was Mandy’s best friend, and me and Adele Silva are still really close. I think she’s a great actress and there’s a lot of untold stories there,” she added. “For example, what did Kelly and Mandy get up to when I wasn’t in the show for all those years?”
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX
