FORMER Coronation Street actress Lucy-Jo Hudson has bagged herself a brand new role – in a rival soap.
The actress, who rose to fame for her role as Katy Harris in the ITV soap opera, has been snapped up by the BBC for a major new role in Casualty this Christmas.
Lucy-Jo, 41, will appear in a ground-breaking Christmas special of the BBC One drama with bosses creating a unique standalone episode for the festive period.
Titled All I Want for Christmas, the episode will be centred all around blood donation and how a shortage of blood rocks the ED at Christmas time.
The emergency blood shortage will see the regular Casualty crew forced to use their own to save lives with the show’s primary cast teaming up with Lucy-Jo and a slew of other guest stars for the episode.
Also appearing in the episode will be Poldark’s Tristan Sturrock, Breathtaking actor Joseph Charles and Malpractise’s Katy Carmichael.
As part of the special, real-life testimonies from those who have been impacted by blood donation will be broadcast within the episode.
In addition, interviews with NHS key workers from the country’s blood service will be played out.
Roxanne Harvey, the Executive Producer for BBC Studios Drama Production, said: “We’re so proud of this life-affirming episode. Beautifully told, with ambitious production values and outstanding performances, this is entertaining, thought-provoking drama at its very best.”
The episode will be broadcast this December ahead of a brand new series of the long-running drama commencing thereafter.
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She went on to bag a prestigious British Soap Award for the role in the category of Villain Of The Year.
In fact, it won’t even be her first time in a Christmas-themed episode of Casualty.
Back in 2010, she appeared in the Winter Wonderland episode of the show, portraying the role of Deena Richards.
No stranger to soapland, her breakthrough role was her three-year stint on the ITV cobbles as Katy.
In more recent years, she has become more closely affiliated with Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks having played Donna-Marie Quinn between 2018 and 2023.
