Lisa Riley is striding back into the village with renewed confidence, a lighter frame, and an even heavier sense of loyalty to the show that made her a household name.

After weeks surviving on rice and beans in the Australian wilderness, the actress returns to Emmerdale slimmer, energised and more in demand than ever. But despite

the wave of fresh opportunities, Riley has delivered a promise that will thrill fans: Mandy Dingle is still her home.

The beloved performer shed around 20lbs during her stint on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, a transformation she says left her feeling fantastic. Yet stepping back into Mandy’s glittery, leopard-print orbit requires a little theatrical adjustment. Riley is happily padding herself up, layering costumes, and even strapping on hot water bottles during freezing outdoor shoots to maintain Mandy’s famous curves.

She laughs that viewers might notice an even more pronounced silhouette when Mandy reappears, but she embraces the contradiction. Personally revitalised, professionally she wants continuity. Mandy, after all, is an icon of bold glamour, big hair and even bigger presence. Riley has no intention of letting a jungle diet rewrite that silhouette.

Her reality-TV adventure did more than reshape her body; it widened her world. Riley finished eighth, winning over audiences with her humour and emotional honesty. In camp she built a particularly warm bond with YouTube star Angry Ginge, a friendship she describes as effortless and genuine. Producers clearly took note. Since returning to the UK, Riley has been bombarded with enticing proposals, including projects that would reunite the unlikely duo.

Some offers, she admits, were jaw-dropping. Yet every conversation comes with a condition: it must fit around Emmerdale. Riley has just signed a new one-year contract, reaffirming her devotion to the ITV mainstay. For her, the arithmetic is simple. Extra ventures are welcome, but the Dales come first.

That commitment is rooted in history. Riley has played Mandy on and off for three decades, watching generations of viewers grow up alongside the character. She speaks about the set with deep affection, describing it as a place where she never takes a single day for granted. The welcome she received on her first morning back — colleagues wearing lanyards emblazoned with her face and “Team Lisa” — left her overwhelmed.

Still, the return is bittersweet.

Riley’s comeback aligns painfully with the anniversary of the death of her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Robin Windsor, who died in 2024. Their partnership in 2012 forged a friendship that endured long after the ballroom lights faded. Riley says there is rarely a day she doesn’t think about him, and the milestone has cast a reflective shadow over an otherwise jubilant moment.

Grief, however, often sharpens purpose. Throwing herself into Mandy’s explosive new material has been both distraction and tribute. And explosive is the right word.

A slimmed down Lisa Riley will boost her curves with lots of clothes when she resumes the role of Mandy on Emmerdale this week

Lisa dazzles at the National Television Awards last September, before her gruelling camp diet

Lisa is met by fiance Al Benkovic as she leaves camp on last year’s I’m A Celebrity

 

When Mandy storms back into the village, she is met not with calm domesticity but chaos. Police swarm her home. Her husband Paddy has been arrested after his father, Bear, confessed to killing the villainous Ray Walters. Riley delights in the drama, joking that producers certainly did not engineer a quiet re-entry.

What follows is Mandy at her most primal. Faced with threats to her family, she snaps into protective mode. Paddy and teenager Dylan need a shield, and Mandy intends to be it. Riley hints that truth may become flexible if survival demands it. A Dingle protects their own, whatever the cost.

The storyline underlines why Riley’s presence matters. Mandy is outrageous, romantic, sometimes deluded — but when crisis hits, she is granite. Viewers who cherish her comic sparkle will also see the steel that has kept her relevant for thirty years.

Off screen, Riley’s life is just as full. Approaching her 50th birthday in July, she is planning major celebrations with both family and castmates of a similar vintage. A special holiday abroad with fiancé Al Benkovic is also in the works. Time apart during the jungle experience, she says, deepened their bond and reminded her what genuine partnership looks like.

Unlike her alter ego, Riley resists grand, performative gestures. Real romance, to her, is a partner recognising a difficult day and offering quiet comfort — perhaps a single yellow rose rather than a house drenched in scarlet hearts. Mandy, of course, would demand the full spectacle: candles, lingerie, themed crockery. Riley laughs at the contrast but appreciates how much joy it brings audiences.

Lisa as Mandy Dingle on ITV’s Emmerdale

Lisa with tragic Strictly partner Robin Windsor in 2012

Professionally, she is riding a remarkable wave. From daytime debates on Loose Women to gruelling dance rehearsals, from jungle trials to village showdowns, Riley has demonstrated a versatility that keeps casting directors circling. Yet her compass always swings back to Emmerdale.

The show is preparing significant material for Mandy across the year, and Riley hints that the pace will be relentless. She thrives on it. After the camaraderie of camp life, she says, returning to another family — the crew and cast — feels like stepping into a second home.

There is gratitude in every sentence she speaks, but also fire. Riley knows opportunities are fleeting; characters endure. Mandy Dingle has survived heartbreak, humiliation and countless reinventions. Now she returns armed with fresh energy from the jungle and an actress determined to honour her legacy.

“I’m lucky,” Riley insists, surveying a schedule that would exhaust performers half her age. Lucky to be wanted. Lucky to be busy. Lucky to come back with a bang.

For Emmerdale viewers, the message is clear. However bright the outside offers shine, Lisa Riley’s heart remains in the village — layered costumes, hot water bottles, mayhem and all.