Photo: Courtesy Emma Samms
Emma Sammsis returning to daytime soap operaGeneral Hospitalmore than a year after falling ill fromCOVID-19.
In October, the 61-year-old actress will return to the ABC show as Holly Sutton.
She adds: “I’m immensely grateful to Producer Frank Valentini and the writers for their understanding and willingness to accommodate my ongoing health issues. I can’t wait to get back to Port Charles!”
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.
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“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 at the time. “But some days I can barely get out of bed and it is the most incredibly frustrating thing.”
Courtesy Emma Samms
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Samms, who also starred onDynasty, 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.”
source: people.com
