Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins has shared her thoughts on when she might return to the ITV soap after taking time off to have her baby. The 32-year-old actress, who portrays Victoria Sugden, stepped away from the show earlier this year to welcome her first child.
To accommodate Isabel's maternity leave, her character Victoria left the Dales for a fresh start abroad alongside her son Harry. Isabel gave birth to her daughter, Georgie Grace, in February. She frequently shares glimpses of her new life as a mother on Instagram, recently posting photos from a family holiday with her partner Adam and their baby.
Before departing, Victoria told her brother Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) that she would eventually return to the village. Now, Isabel has opened up about the possibility of reprising her role, acknowledging the challenge of balancing work and motherhood.
“I will need to find a way to manage that. For 20 years, work has been my priority,” she said during an appearance on the podcast You Don’t Know You’re Born, hosted by Danny Miller and Nigel Clucas. She explained that becoming a parent completely “flipped [her] way of thinking.”
“To be honest, I still don’t know when I’m going back. In my ideal world, it would be September. And then it’s all systems go. [That’s when] it really starts with the juggling and potential mum guilt, and whatever,” she added.
Isabel also reflected on her maternity leave discussions with Emmerdale producers. “It was very much at my discretion how much [time] I wanted off.” She initially thought she would be working until early 2026, but the show’s bosses informed her that her final scenes would wrap before Christmas.
“It was mid-December. But in hindsight they did me a favour. The drive, Manchester to Leeds, it was killing me a bit,” she admitted.
Her character Victoria left the Dales after being blackmailed by Joe Tate (Ned Porteous). Joe used evidence of Victoria killing John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) to seize the Sugden farmland from her and Robert. Haunted by painful memories, Victoria chose to leave with her son Harry and start anew abroad.
