EastEnders finally confirms emotional return after 18 years for Nigel’s dementia storyline

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After nearly 18 years, Gemma Bissix is returning to EastEnders as her character, Clare Bates, for a brief appearance this spring.

She’ll be stunned to learn that her estranged stepdad, Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley), has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and she’ll have to face the difficult truth about his declining mental state.

Expect plenty of emotional moments when she returns and confronts her stepmother, Julie Bates (played by Karen Henthorn). The BBC soap opera has teased that her return will be full of classic, dramatic storylines.

It’s really tough timing, because just as she’s back, my family is also having to figure out what comes next with my grandpa’s dementia. We’re at a point where we need to make some big decisions about his care, and it’s all happening at once.

After a frightening incident where Nigel nearly drowned, Julie and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) have come to terms with the difficult decision to find a care home for him.

EastEnders is continuing to collaborate with Dementia UK and specialists to make sure the storyline is depicted with sensitivity and realism.

Bissix expressed her excitement about returning to play Clare, especially for a storyline involving Nigel. She had hoped for the opportunity, believing fans would enjoy seeing their characters reconnect on EastEnders.

It was wonderful reconnecting with Paul and Karen after so many years! It felt like no time had passed at all. We all fondly remember Nigel and Clare – they were an amazing duo in the 90s, and their stepfather-stepdaughter dynamic was truly one-of-a-kind!

I practically grew up on the EastEnders set, learning everything I know about acting there, so returning feels incredibly special! While it’s going to be emotional to work with the cast again, I hope the audience enjoys seeing Clare and Nigel together on screen!

Ben Wadey, the show’s executive producer, explained that they always planned to have Clare Bates return to Walford as part of Nigel’s ongoing story, and they were thrilled Gemma agreed to reprise her role.

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Nigel and his daughter haven’t had a close relationship for a long time, and their past is difficult. However, with Nigel developing dementia and the family starting to plan for his future care, it became important to address their strained connection.

Clare Bates’s EastEnders backstory

Bissix first joined the show as Clare in 1993, quickly becoming friends with Janine Butcher (played by Alexia Demetriou) and Sonia Jackson (Natalie Cassidy). However, she later fell in with a group of troublemakers who relentlessly bullied Sonia.

In 1998, she moved to Scotland with Nigel and Julie to start a new life. This happened several years after Nigel had fought to gain custody of her following the tragic death of his first wife, Debbie (Nicola Duffett), in a hit-and-run accident.

After a decade, she moved in with Dot Branning and quickly caused trouble for the other residents. She tried to start relationships with Jack and Max Branning, and she also blackmailed Ian Beale.

After failing to win over the Branning family, she set her sights on Bradley Bradley, who was struggling after his split from his wife, Stacey Slater. She manipulated him into stealing valuable jewelry from a former partner.

She worked at Tanya Branning’s salon and stole £100, falsely accusing her colleague, Chelsea Fox, of the theft. Following this, she stole more money from Bradley and damaged Dot’s home during a party before escaping in a taxi.

Ever since Nigel came back in 2024, he’s often asked to see Clare and has repeatedly thought other people on Albert Square were her. He even had a vivid hallucination of a younger Clare during a particularly emotional episode celebrating VE Day.

How will he react to seeing her again after all of this time?

Of course, Bissix has since had multiple stints in Hollyoaks as the villainous Clare Devine.

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Authors

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at TopMob, providing the latest news and spoilers for popular shows like Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks. Before joining TopMob, he worked as a Soaps Reporter at Metro for two years and even gained on-set experience with both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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2026-02-22 00:35