Gail returned earlier this year (Picture: ITV)

Gail Loman (Rachael Gill-Davis) visited the Emmerdale village back in 2019 as Ryan Stocks’ (James Moore) girlfriend.

She then made a permanent return earlier this year. She got back with Ryan and started working as Marlon’s (Mark Charnock) kitchen assistant in the pub. While Gail is chaotic and sometimes struggles to deal with her emotions, she has a kind heart and is often seen just trying to do the right thing.

Gail and Ryan are currently in the middle of a storyline that involves getting to know their son Oscar. We learnt a few weeks ago that the couple put Oscar up for adoption when he was born, due to them being so young and believing someone else could give him a better life.

With Oscar unwell and in hospital, upcoming episodes will see Gail reveal that she is a match for the stem-cell transplant he needs.

It’s an emotional and powerful storyline and for Rachael, she was completely surprised to be contacted about reprising her soap role.

‘I had kind of put it to bed, in a way’, she told us.

‘I was doing another job and I got a text saying they wanted to meet me and I was like, “Oh my days – this is amazing!”. I was in it four years ago initially. I remember I called my mum up and she was in the hairdresser’s and I could just hear her screaming. She was just so happy. Then four years later getting the call again, which was just amazing to be back. It’s such a great place to learn as well. I’ve learned so much from the professionals. It’s amazing.’

Gail met up with Sophie, Oscar’s adoptive mother (Picture: ITV)

Previously, when Gail broke the news to Ryan about Oscar entering their lives again, he reacted badly.

‘He was definitely angry at her for keeping it a secret’, Rachael said.

‘I can’t imagine that they argue very often. Obviously they did have that four years hiatus where they didn’t speak and she went off with a guy called Spud. But I think she’s constantly motivated to have that family and she’ll do anything to make sure that they’re both back on track.

‘I know a lot of people didn’t trust her initially but I believe that she’s got a good heart. That’s why she opened up to Marlon. It didn’t take long before she opened up and stuff so I know her heart’s in the right place. She loves Ryan.’

Reflecting on the news that Gail is a match for Oscar’s surgery but Ryan isn’t, Rachael revealed how Ryan copes with the update:

‘I think he’s initially gutted that he’s not a match because it’s something else that he feels like he’s let Oscar down with. For Gail, it’s the first time she’s been able to do something for her son. It’s been 13 years and she’s not done anything so there’s an immense amount of guilt that Gail will have, so this is the first time where she can actually do something.

Ryan will start to bond with Oscar (Picture: ITV)

‘I don’t think she thinks twice and she’s obviously elated that she is a match because it’s really rare to be a match. It’s against all odds, really.’

‘I can’t even imagine, as Rachael, the shock you would have if a child came into your life and you’d just hope he was happy throughout those 13 years’, she added.

‘Then to find out that he’s ill, so you’ve got number one, that he’s come into your life after 13 years and number two, he’s sick. It is that you hope it’s going to work. I definitely think she’s petrified at the prospect that she could lose him a second time, all over again.’

Gail also works at the Woolpack (Picture: ITV)

Teasing what’s ahead with Ryan, Gail, and Oscar’s adoptive mother Sophie (Martha Cope), Rachael explained:

‘That’s what’s so great about how they’ve written it as well, because you see both sides. Sophie might be a strong character, but there is that aspect that she’s just as frightened to have her son taken away from her when these two trendy young parents come back into his life.’

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Pondering over the fan reaction to Gail when she first returned, Rachael said: ‘I quite enjoyed it, because I knew something that they didn’t, in a way. It’s always good, watching it – what gave them that idea in the script, or what did I do, what choice did I make at that point to make it look like it might be going a different way. I found it really interesting to see different perspectives because she went off the radar for four years.

‘No one trusts a character initially, do they, ever? It’s so different to anything I’ve done before so it was interesting.’

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She returned earlier this year.