EastEnders legend joins rival soap 20 years after quitting show and the country

EASTENDERS legend Hannah Waterman has joined a rival soap - 20 years after quitting the BBC show.

The actress - who played Laura Beale in the BBC soap - last acted in the UK in 2013 in an episode of Doctors before making thee move down under.

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But now after a series of appearances on Australian dramas, Hannah has signed up to appear in a soap again.

Hannah is set to play a magistrate in Home and Away in scenes to air in the UK in December.

A source said: “Hannah moved to Australia years ago for a new life but she’s still acting.

“She loved dipping her toes back into the world of soap briefly and who knows it could mean she finds her way back more permanently.”

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The new role comes two years after Hannah tied the knot to former The Bill star husband Huw Higginson.

Huw posted a celebratory shot showing their special day in October 2022 as they posed with their son Jack, 11, on a boat in Sydney.

The Bill actor gushed in his caption: "Got married to my love yesterday. We had the best of days."

Hannah, who played Ian Beale's third wife Laura in the BBC soap, could be seen gazing lovingly at her spouse as they celebrated their special day.

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She wore a patterned, long-sleeve blue frock - perhaps as her something blue - complete with gold strappy sandals and a navy pashmina.

She clutched a bouquet of cream flowers and accessorised with a pair of sunglasses.

The happy couple made the move to Australia in 2014.

It came after Hannah married fellow EastEnders star Ricky Groves in 2006. The pair separated in 2010 and divorced in 2014.

Huw is most notable for his ten-year role in The Bill as PC George Garfield.