Emmerdale newcomer Gemma Atkinson has said Carly Hope is going to be the soap’s next bad girl – and she can’t wait for viewers to see her in the role.

The former Hollyoaks actress plays Bob Hope’s daughter, last seen in the village in 2006, who is set to make a dramatic return in a wedding dress to ask Bob (Tony Audenshaw) to walk her down the aisle.

Gemma revealed: “It’s great, because I’ve never played a nasty character in soap before. I just hope the audience will see there are reasons for it – it’s not just because she’s a b***h. Hopefully that will play out and the audience will start to feel sorry for her when they find out what she’s been through.”

Carly wants Bob to give her away (ITV)
Carly Hope wants dad Bob to give her away (ITV)

She added: “The way the scripts have been written for me and Tony has been brilliant because they are very comical but there is a serious side underneath. There are elements to Carly that are quite funny, which is good.”

The 30-year-old former Casualty star revealed she had always wanted to be in Emmerdale and was delighted when her agent managed to get her an audition.

Gemma Atkinson (Jonathan Short/Invision)
Gemma Atkinson (Jonathan Short/Invision)

Gemma, who rose to fame in Hollyoaks between 2001 and 2005, revealed: “I said that I’d like to do soap again and I would like to do Emmerdale, so my agent called up and told them that I was a fan of the show and if any auditions came up, I’d be really grateful if they’d consider me.

“It’s bizarre, because I did an interview about six years ago and they said, ‘In so many years, where would you like to be?’ and I said ‘in Emmerdale’. I’ve always said that I do love the soap and my mum is a huge fan.

“The interviewer said, ‘But Corrie’s nearer, why Emmerdale?’ I don’t know if it’s because it’s based on a farm and I’m really outdoorsy, but I always said that I’d like to be in Emmerdale and here I am!”