EMMERDALE star Lisa Riley has teased that her character, Mandy Dingle, could actually be cousin Chas Dingle's sister in a shock love triangle twist.

Lisa, 42, is set to make her return to the ITV soap early in the New Year – 17 years after she left.

However, her comeback will be far from smooth – with Mandy set to clash with Chas, played by Lucy Pargeter, after Chas finds her with her partner, Paddy Kirk.

Paddy used to be married to Mandy.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Lisa theorised that the two feisty women have to be sisters.

She explained: "I honestly think Mandy and Chas are sisters.

"They are very similar in that they are confident but they live with bravado and hide it when they are hurting inside.

"The way they write for Chas reminds me of how they wrote for Mandy when I was here.

"If it turned out they were sisters it would be wonderful to explore they are so similar and have both been through so much turmoil."

Lucy didn't join the show as Chas until after Lisa had left, meaning that the two characters haven't appeared onscreen together before this point.

However, the pair's relationship growing up has already been alluded to, with Lucy adding: "It’s implied Mandy was the fun girl when they were younger and Chas wasn't.

"So there’s a bit of history and tension between them even before their links to Paddy."

All hell will break loose when Chas finds her cousin with Paddy – attacking Mandy in a fit of rage, which probably isn't the welcome home that the character was hoping for.

Mandy is set to reveal that she has a secret son called Vinnie, and Lisa has hinted that she might be sticking around in the 'Dales for good.

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Lisa left the ITV soap back in 2001, and admits she's often been asked to return – however, the timing has never been right, until now.

Explaining how her return came about, she said: "The first initial offer was for a long period, but because of work and my commitments, there was an original storyline which has been flipped.

"It won't be what people expect, which is even better. It leaves things very much open for the New Year, shall we say.

"I had a secret meeting with the show and I had time to have a think about whether it was the right thing, but it didn't take me a long time once they told me the story."

Mandy's return will air on Monday, January 7 at 7pm on ITV.

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