Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins shared a positive update on social media this week
Isabel Hodgins plays Victoria Sugden in Emmerdale (Image: ITV)
A beloved Emmerdale star has confirmed their return, just months after their exit from the Dales. ITV soap fans will know that Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria Sugden, went on maternity leave in December 2025, with her final scenes airing in February.
Ahead of her exit, Victoria was at the centre of a huge storyline, after her evil brother, John (Oliver Farnworth), was revealed to be Nate Robinson’s (Jurell Carter) killer.
The villain also kept Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) captive last year, and threw himself and his husband, Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), off a cliff.
John returned to the village in December 2025, shortly before Victoria accidentally killed him in a violent confrontation during the Corriedale crossover.
The interaction was secretly filmed by Joe Tate (Ned Porteous), who used the footage to blackmail Victoria and her brother, Robert (Ryan Hawley), into signing over their share of the family farm to the Tates. To protect Victoria, Robert also planted illegal documents at Butler’s Farm, leading to Moira Dingle’s (Natalie J Robb’s) wrongful imprisonment.
Horrified by the consequences of her secret and the constant reminders in the village, Victoria decided to relocate to Portugal with her son, Harry (Adam Pryor), to stay with Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen).
Away from the Dales, Victoria star Isabel welcomed her first child, a daughter called Georgie Grace, with her husband Adam Whitehead in February. The couple have since kept fans updated via various social media platforms.
Isabel recently posted a TikTok video of herself and Adam dancing. The caption read: “POV: Georgie sleeps for 10 minutes so we do our first TikTok dance. The concentration on Adam’s face,” alongisde a laughing emoji. It didn’t take long for fans to take to the comments section to ask when she’ll be returning to Emmerdale.
The 32-year-old star responded to one person: “Later this year,” which will surely delight viewers who have been missing Victoria in recent weeks. One pleased fan replied: “Can’t wait we miss you,” while another wrote: “Hope the little one is well.”
The actress is currently on maternity leave (Image: ITV)
Speaking about her exit, Isabel previously shared: “I thought I would be really emotional when I filmed my final scenes. Emmerdale is all I have ever known.
“But pregnancy does funny things to you and the truth is, I felt ready not to have to film on Emmerdale! I live in Manchester and I’ve been driving over to Leeds to film. By the end, I felt exhausted and I knew it was time to have a rest before the baby arrives.”
Isabel isn’t the only Emmerdale cast member currently on maternity leave, as Amy Walsh, who plays Tracy Robinson, is also taking some time away from the Dales after giving birth to her second child.
It’s been a busy week in the Dales after Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) was forced to give birth to her great-granddaughter, Leyla, in a hospital lift. It seems as though Sarah (Katie Hill) and Jacob Sugden’s (Joe-Warren Plant) baby bubble could burst very soon, after Dr Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker) learned that the baby is, in fact, the offspring of Charity and Ross Barton (Michael Parr).
