Eagle-eyed EastEnders fans staggered as they spot iconic Emmerdale star in Walford

Emmerdale actress Sally Walsh, who is the sister of Kimberley Walsh and Amy Walsh, played the role of Lyn Hutchinson in the ITV soap and has since gone on to star in various other shows

EastEnders' fans have spotted Sally Walsh, known for her role as Lyn Hutchinson in ITV's Emmerdale, appearing in Albert Square. Sally was part of Emmerdale from January 1997 to February 2000, initially playing a school bully who harassed Emma Cairns (portrayed by Rebecca Loudonsack) over her pregnancy before she started dating village chef Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock). In addition to her stint in Emmerdale, Sally has also appeared in EastEnders, with viewers recently taking to social media to discuss her role as Chrissie Watts' (Tracy-Ann Oberman) cellmate, Gail, in three episodes in 2005 after classic episodes of the soap were aired by the BBC.

One eagle-eyed fan who'd been watching classic episodes of the soap posted on Reddit: "Believe it or not, it's Sally Walsh (who played Chrissie Watts' cell mate Gail) for only 3 episodes on Classic EE. I only found this out while reading a Twitter comment on #ClassicEastEnders page. You might recognise the surname Walsh as she is the third younger sister of Kimberly Walsh who is part of Girls Aloud. She also has another sister Amy (who currently plays Tracy Metcalfe in Emmerdale). Amazing what you learn."

Other viewers commented on the post, which included a screengrab of Sally in EastEnders, with one person saying: "They all look so much alike" and another adding: "She played Lynn on Emmerdale in the late 90s"

Post Sally's departure from Emmerdale, her real-life sister Amy Walsh has secured a role on the Yorkshire Dales-based drama as Tracy Metcalfe and has been involved in some significant storylines since her arrival in 2014, including one where she cheated on her husband Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) with his uncle, Caleb Milligan (Will Ash).

Another sister of Sally, Kimberly Walsh, joined Girls Aloud after featuring on the reality TV show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The band, consisting of Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle, reunited earlier this year for a UK tour which paid homage to late member Sarah Harding who passed away in 2021 due to cancer. Kimberly is currently a well-liked host on BBC One's Morning Live, which broadcasts after BBC Breakfast on weekdays, reports OK!.

Longstanding EastEnders enthusiasts will recall the character Chrissie, who was handed a life sentence for the murder of her spouse 'Dirty' Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) in December, following his death in the Queen Vic. Her initial arrival in Albert Square was back in 2014 when her relationship with Den took a turn for the worse due to his infidelity and deception.

After a 19-year absence from the fictional town of Walford, Chrissie made a much-anticipated return to the soap last month, delighting dedicated viewers.

In an episode that saw Den's daughter Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) jailed for contempt of court after lashing out at a judge during the trial of rapist Dean Wick (Matt Di Angelo), it was revealed that Chrissie was in the same prison.

It's fair to say there's no love lost between Chrissie and her former stepdaughter, as the murderous Chrissie informed Sharon she had been "so close" to evading the police in 2005 until Sharon intervened.

Sally's character Gail was noticeably absent from those EastEnders scenes, with the actress more recently gracing rival soap Coronation Street.

Sally featured as a nurse in Corrie in 2012 when Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson) was hurried to A&E with appendicitis, before making a comeback in 2019 as a midwife caring for Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn) during the induced birth of her premature baby.

The actress recently appeared on the BBC drama Doctors, taking to Twitter in April to share a scene from the show, adding: "Fourth and last time on @BBCDoctors. Always such a lovely show to work on."