Fans have been eagerly awaiting the continuation of the Holly Sutton storyline on General Hospital for a full two years, and they're finally going to get the payoff. Portrayer Emma Samms has returned to the ABC soap opera!
The Britain-based actress was last seen on air in 2020, when it was revealed to the audience that Holly wasn't dead as many believed, but rather, she was being held hostage by a mysterious villain in Monte Carlo.
"I can't believe that it's been 40 years since I first appeared on General Hospital and that, once again, I get to play the wonderful character of Holly Sutton," Samms enthuses to Deadline, which was the first to report the news of her return. "No one is more interested in what's happened to her since we saw her two years ago, being held captive by a mysterious villain, than me!"
GH executive producer Frank Valentini added, "I am thrilled the wonderful Emma Samms will be returning to the canvas in October so we can continue telling Holly's story and the fans can finally see what happened after we learned she was alive and being held hostage."
Samms was originally slated to make a GH comeback in 2020, but the COVID-19 crisis put a damper on those plans. The actress has also been suffering from long COVID, which further delayed her return.
"They set up this marvelous story right before the pandemic hit and I was really excited about coming back," Samms told Soap Opera Digest last year. "And then not only was there a pandemic, but I got sick, and Frank has been just wonderfully patient and supportive and understanding, way more than I could possibly have ever hoped."
Samms got her big break on General Hospital, playing the role of Holly Sutton from 1982 to 1985. She has made numerous returns since leaving the show full-time, including her most recent appearance in September 2020. Some of her other credits include Doctors, Holby City, Models Inc., Dynasty, and The Colbys.
If you have a hankering for the days of watching grainy episodes of your favorite soaps on a VHS tape (And who doesn't?!), check out this video showing some of Emma's first GH scenes.
UPDATE (October 6, 2022): Emma Samms will make her long-awaited return on October 19.
How do you feel about Emma Samms finally returning to continue her GH storyline? Who do you think has been holding Holly hostage all this time? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
