Emmerdale viewers were left speechless after spotting Rebecca White star Emily Head in a beloved crime drama.
Rebecca made her first appearance in the Dales in 2016 as the daughter of the late Lawrence White (John Bowe), half-sister to Chrissie White (Louise Marwood), and aunt to serial killer Lachlan White (Tom Atkinson).
She had a notable affair with her sister's ex-husband, Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), which resulted in her becoming pregnant.
Robert was soon revealed as the father of the unborn child, but he wanted no involvement. Their son, Seb, was born in November 2017.
In 2019, Rebecca and her boyfriend, Ross Barton (Michael Parr), relocated to Liverpool with Seb for a new beginning away from the village, reports Belfast Live.
Ross returned to the Dales in October 2024, and it was subsequently disclosed that Rebecca had died off-screen.
Ross was caring for Seb when Rebecca had to have a routine operation, but she unexpectedly suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away.
Seb was eventually sent to live with Rebecca's aunt in Bristol, as Ross had no legal guardianship over him.
With Robert's recent return to the village in an attempt to reconcile with his ex-husband, Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), several soap fans are speculating that Seb might make a comeback to the village, six years after his last appearance.
Eight months after Rebecca's off-screen death in Emmerdale, viewers were taken aback to see actress Emily Head in British crime drama Whitstable Pearl.
The series, currently available on Acorn TV, first aired in 2021, with its third season premiering in October 2024.
The plot centres around former police officer Pearl Nolan (Kerry Godliman), who runs a seafood restaurant named Whitstable Pearl with her mother in the coastal town of Whitstable.
When a friend dies under mysterious circumstances, Pearl finds herself at odds with the new local police officer, DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles).
Emily made an appearance in the show's second season as Kat Bergman, Mike's "outgoing and sunny" new girlfriend.
Emmerdale fans have expressed their surprise at Emily's recurring role after watching a recent rerun of the series.
"We've seen Alicia Metcalfe's actress playing on Corrie recently and I was watching Whitstable Pearl and Rebecca White (Emily Head) popped up," one person wrote on Reddit.
Another added: "Omg what a throwback, can't believe they killed Rebecca off," while a third said: "Rebecca was one of my favourite characters at the time. Was devastated they just killed her off-screen."
A fourth viewer echoed the sentiment, stating: "Would love for her to return with Seb, I know Ross mentioned she had died but it could easily be written around," with another adding: "I will always see her as Carly from The Inbetweeners."
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and is available to stream from 7am on ITVX
