EastEnders star Jo Joyner has opened up about a possible return to the BBC soap, saying she had secret talks with show bosses last year.

Joyner joined the soap in 2006, playing Tanya Branning until her departure in 2013. She reprised the role for the soap’s 30th anniversary in 2015 and last appeared in a guest role in 2018.

In a resurfaced video shared on Joyner’s Cameo, the actor said that a discussion took place about a potential comeback as Tanya (via The Sun).

In the video, she said: “I always say about going back, never say never because you just never know. I’m grateful Tanya isn’t dead.

“There’s still a possibility of going back and it has been discussed recently, but I am very busy at the moment with other projects. So I couldn’t go back in at the moment anyway.”

Elsewhere in the video, Joyner heaped praise on her co-star Jake Wood, who played her on-screen husband Max Branning, saying he was “fantastic” and “easy to work with”.

One star who recently made a surprise return to the soap was Shona McGarty, reprising her role as Whitney Dean.

The actor stepped back into the role last month, with both McGarty and the soap confirming it was a very brief guest stint.

In a promotional behind-the-scenes video on Instagram, McGarty said: “So that is a wrap. First day back and the only day back.”

After playfully winking at the camera, which suggested she might have more scenes, she added: “No, it is the only day back.”

The soap captioned the clip: “Short but so sweet! Take a look at Shona McGarty’s BTS from her brief stint back on The Square. We hope you enjoyed seeing Whitney Dean as much as we did!”

McGarty commented on the post, saying: “What a wonderful day I had. Stepping into those Whitney Boots again… The hoops and dogtooth had to make an appearance sooner or later.”

She added: “I’ll always be a huge fan of the show x Keep watching Easties, and keep your eyes peeled on what I get up to next.”