EastEnders has released a first-look photo of Patsy Kensit in the role of Emma Harding, "Lola Pearce's never-seen-before mother".
Holby City and Emmerdale favourite Kensit is joining the BBC soap for "a short stint" and will make her Albert Square debut next month.
Setting the scene, the BBC said: "Emma left Lola and her father behind when Lola was only three years old and has never been seen on screen before.
"But what has led to her explosive arrival on Albert Square, and how will Lola respond as she is forced to confront a face from her past when her own future is so uncertain?"
"It has always been a dream of mine to appear in EastEnders," said Kensit. "The cast, producers, writers and crew have been wonderful, and I've had a ball. Thank you so much for having me."
Chris Clenshaw, EastEnders Executive Producer, added: "We're delighted to welcome the wonderfully talented Patsy to the EastEnders family. She's the perfect fit to take on the role of such a long-awaited character that we know very little about.
"Softly spoken and measured, on one hand Emma is the very opposite of her long lost daughter, Lola. But on the other, there's a striking resemblance; successful, the capacity to hold her own – if she says she'll do something, she'll do it – and she's a fighter, just like Lola.
"Having spent a lifetime apart, Emma becomes desperate to make up for lost time, but her secret sadness and guilt are never far from the surface.
"The burden of losing her daughter has never left her, but can she find the courage to tell her shocking truth and reconnect with Lola, or will it come too little, too late?
"Patsy's portrayal is bound to set off fireworks in Walford and cause havoc for the Mitchell household."
EastEnders airs on RTÉ One and BBC One Monday to Thursday.
