Gary Lucy’s return to ‘Hollyoaks’ has been confirmed.
The 35-year-old actor was reported to be returning to the Channel 4 soap to reprise his role as Luke Morgan – a role he portrayed from 1999 until 2002 – over the weekend, and a spokesperson for the show has now confirmed the news.
The spokesperson told DigitalSpy.com that Gary will in fact return to the soap, but the publication states no other information – such as how long viewers can expect to see Gary back on the show for – was given.
Previously, a source claimed Gary would be rejoining the programme for at least 18 months, and said he had already been back on set in Liverpool to shoot his "meaty" arrival scenes.
The insider said: "Producers have some massive storylines planned for Gary. He will be at the centre of the action. They know how talented he is and also how popular he is with viewers. Because he’ll be back for at least 18 months it will be possible for him to have some really meaty storylines."
During his time on the soap, Gary was most famously involved in the gripping storyline which saw his character tragically raped by Mark Gibbs (Kristian Ealey), after getting into a fight over a football team rivalry.
When Luke attempted to fight back, Mark lost control and raped him to belittle him – the first time the taboo subject had been approached by a soap in the history of UK television.
Gary said of the plot at the time: "When they first told me about the storyline I was dubious as to whether or not I should take it. Firstly because I was so young and secondly it hadn’t been touched before so no-one knew how the public and press would take it. After thinking about it and doing research behind it I thought it was definitely a subject worth approaching. So we did it and reaped the rewards. I feel very lucky."
After he left ‘Hollyoaks’, the heartthrob starred in ‘Footballers’ Wives’, ‘The Bill’ and rival soap ‘EastEnders’, before he took part in ‘Dancing on Ice’ in 2010 and 2014.