It’s not just the audience who’ve been waiting for this emotional reunion; Gemma Bissix herself admits that since Paul Bradley rejoined the cast as her fictional father, she’s been poised to reprise the role of Clare, who she first played back in 1993 when she was just nine years old.
“This time last year, when I went back to Hollyoaks (where she plays devious Clare Devine, more of her later) my agent contacted EastEnders about my potential availability, and they said they’d been thinking about bringing Clare back but much further down the line. I never told anyone in case it didn’t happen.”
Even though confused Nigel has asked to see his daughter, despite years of estrangement, when she appears at his hospital bed he doesn’t even recognise her.
“Clare felt pushed out when Nigel married Julie. For many years it was just Clare and Nigel, she lost her mum Debbie at an early age, had no relationship with her biological father Liam who was in prison. Nigel was her stepdad and Clare saw him as her proper dad, but maybe she felt that lack of blood relation during her teenage years.”
“That was all a bolshy façade,” defends Bissix. “Clare was searching for somewhere to belong and still processing her mum’s death. Towards the end of those few months in 2008, we started to see a more genuine side, but the audience was ready to see the back of her by then. She’s definitely matured.
“The beauty of her coming back now is we get to see the Clare from the 90s again. She’s still got that sting in her tail, but that’s her protective armour, which comes off in some big scenes with other characters. I’ve got some lovely stuff obviously with Paul, as well as Karen Henthorn and Steve McFadden, who I adore.”
“Clare took Nigel for granted and thought he’d always be there. Maybe her opportunity to apologise for putting her walls up and not reaching out could be lost, it might be too late.”
“The relationship between Clare and Lexi is organic as they’ve been through the same thing at the same age,” says Bissix. “They bond as Clare talks about Debbie and recalls how Nigel was there for her. It’s recapping those old episodes with Clare’s memories, which also made me think about my early days on EastEnders.”
“The only reason I got the part was because I looked like Nicola Duffett, who was playing my mother,” she remembers. “And I guess I was confident enough to read a script. At nine years old, you either deliver lines and sound natural, or like a robot.”
Her clearly natural ability impressed producers who cast her for what was initially just three episodes, which became six years.
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“I’ll never forget Steve McFadden coming up to me on my first day,” she laughs. “He asked me if I knew my lines. I said yes quite confidently. Then he took my script away and told me to recite them! I was terrified, but he said you’ll never be scared of anything else ever again! Steve really helped me, he is a masterclass. EastEnders is where I learnt my craft, how to conduct myself and be professional.
“Although I do remember getting a telling off once. Susan Tully (Michelle Fowler) and Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) were doing a scene where I had to come in at the end with just one line. The girls were particularly giggly that day, and it took about six or seven takes. They finally did it and kept a straight face. I opened the door for my line and started laughing, ruining the take where they’d got it right! Since then, I’ve never corpsed!”
“She helped me get an agent after leaving the child acting agency. I’m still with the same agent today. After she passed, her husband Scott said Barbara always spoke so highly of me – that’s still bewildering and amazing to me. I’ve kept good luck cards from Barbara and Martine McCutcheon, from when I left in 1998.”
Clare was written out when Bradley quit, with Nigel getting a happy ending, or so we thought, which saw him move to Scotland with his new love, Julie Haye. “Part of me was quite happy to leave,” reflects Bissix. “I’d lived EastEnders from the age of nine, by then I was nearly 16 and felt I’d missed out on growing up a bit. It’s like when you have a hobby and it's everything gets taken up with it. I was happy to go back to being normal.”
“I’m a happy-go-lucky, friendly person, so it was nice to play someone so steely who murders people for fun. It’s obviously very far-removed from me! Clare is like the alter ego you wish you could’ve channelled if anyone was mean to you at school.”
Cruel Clare became one of Hollyoaks’ biggest characters, whose popularity means she’s cheated death on several occasions to ensure semi-regular comebacks. In 2025, she was resurrected, 12 years after being zipped up in a body bag. Clare is in prison for killing her sister, but Bissix reveals the character has unfinished business…
In stark contrast to the heightened space of Hollyoaks, Bissix admits she’s enjoying the more grounded material provided by EastEnders. “I’ve really enjoyed that natural acting style and raw emotion. When Clare Devine cries, you never know if it's fake tears! EastEnders feels more real. Clare Bates is the character that’s closest to who I am.”
“It’s inevitable Nigel won’t last forever," notes Bissix. "When he passes it will be so sad. Clare leaves, having built some bridges, especially with Julie.
She added, "Clare is now married and has a child. I’d like to see them one day. Maybe my daughter, who’s 10 now, could come in and play Clare’s little girl – how good would that be?"
5 EastEnders spoilers this week: Clare Bates's emotional return and Max Branning seeks revengeEastEnders finally confirms emotional return after 18 years for Nigel’s dementia storylineEastEnders' Callum Highway fears for his future after incriminating Ben Mitchell scam in BBC iPlayer release
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