Emma Samms Returns to General Hospital After COVID-19 Battle | By The Perfect Enemy

Emma Samms is returning to daytime soap opera General Hospital more than a year after falling ill from COVID-19.

In October, the 61-year-old actress will return to the ABC show as Holly Sutton, telling Deadline, “I can’t believe that it’s been 40 years since I first appeared on General Hospital and that, once again, I get to play the wonderful character of Holly Sutton.”

Samms added, “No one is more interested in what’s happened to her since we saw her two years ago, being held captive by a mysterious villain, than me!”

Executive producer Frank Valentini added, “I am thrilled the wonderful Emma Samms will be returning to the canvas in October, so we can continue telling Holly’s story and the fans can finally see what happened after we learned she was alive and being held hostage.”

Last year, Samms was supposed to fly to L.A. to begin filming a new storyline for the popular character, which she originated in 1982, but instead she got COVID, so her partner, BBC presenter Simon McCoy, had to film a single scene at her U.K. home.

Getty (2)

“The scene was dramatic with me banging on the door to get out because I’ve been held hostage. Simon, who’s not really been around acting, was quite traumatized — a good sign, I think!” she told PEOPLE exclusively in a 2021 interview after her COVID diagnosis.

“Everybody said, ’10 days and it will be over and you’ll come out the other side,'” the soap star said. “But some days I can barely get out of bed and it is the most incredibly frustrating thing.”

Courtesy Emma Samms

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Samms, who also starred on Dynasty, realized something else was wrong when she tried to return to her workout routine and couldn’t complete it. Then, she tried gardening outside her home in the Costswolds, about two hours from London, but even that was too exhausting.

“The fatigue that comes with Long COVID is not regular fatigue, it’s not where I feel a bit sleepy,” Samms told PEOPLE, who added that she now keeps a packed bag at the ready in case she needs to make an emergency trip to the hospital. “It’s the kind that you might imagine marathon runners feeling when you see them staggering over a finish line and they can barely stand up. Some days I don’t want to get out of bed even if I have to go to the bathroom. Even that feels like too much effort.”

Her experience, and her desire to find answers, prompted her to gather her former Dynasty castmates together for a virtual reunion to benefit Long COVID research in 2021. “I’ve been so encouraged by the support that all of my old castmates have given me,” Samms said of last year’s March 20 fundraiser.

---

Published on The Perfect Enemy at https://bit.ly/3AFiBdn.