Casualty viewers went wild when EastEnders ' Kellie Shirley took on a new role in soapland more than a decade after leaving Albert Square. The actress made her debut in the medical drama during the first instalment of its miniseries, Storm Damage, which aired on Saturday, June 15, 2024. She featured in the instalment alongside fellow newcomer Ryan Hawley , another name who shot to fame by starring as Robert Sugden in Emmerdale .
Kellie Shirley has taken on the role of feisty psychiatric liaison nurse Sophia Peters after embarking on a short stint in the rival show Doctors, which has since been axed. But while she may have become the talk of social media as her character finds her mark in Holby City Hospital, many fans remembered Kellie for her long stint in EastEnders , where she gained recognition as Carly Wicks. The sister of Walford villain Dean Wicks, Carly was first introduced to viewers of the London-based drama in 2006 when she settled in her adoptive father Kevin's home following her split from husband Nico Pappas.
Carly then went on to be reunited with her estranged mother Shirley and the pair have shared a complex relationship throughout the years. After an explosive relationship with Sean Slater - who was actually pining over Tanya Branning behind her back - Carly was rattled to the point of leaving Albert Square when Kevin passed away in 2008. She then briefly returned four years later when she hears that Shirley has been struggling to cope and heavily drinking af.
