Jennifer Ellison has made her return to TV for the first time in a decade14:55, 23 Jun 2026Updated 15:13, 23 Jun 2026A Brookside star is making her TV comeback, and she has completely transformed for the role.‌Jennifer Ellison has returned to our screens for the first time in a decade to film G'wed. The soap favourite rose to prominence 28 years ago as Emily Shadwick in Brookside.‌The actress, 43, remained a central figure in the Channel 4 soap until her character met a dramatic end in 2003.‌Now, the star has made her highly anticipated comeback as Anna, the estranged mother of Aimee Morris (played by Amber Harrison), in ITV's popular Liverpool-based comedy, which broadcast on Monday (June 8).Viewers will spot that she's ditched her signature bright blonde locks and transformed into a redhead for the fresh role, reports the Liverpool Echo.‌Following her TV return, Jennifer featured on Tuesday's (June 23) instalment of GMB alongside presenters Ed Balls and Ranvir Singh.It wasn't long before the actress faced questions about her extended absence from television. The star disclosed that while confidence played a significant role in her hiatus, she was also focused on bringing up her three children, Bobby, Harry and Charlie, whom she shares with Robbie Tickle.She explained, "I think what it was was confidence, self-confidence. Boys, they came first, and for a long time, I gained a lot of weight, and I wasn't looking after myself."‌The conversation quickly turned to Jennifer's well-being as she had previously opened up about her sugar dependency. She confessed that she would routinely drink six to seven cans of cola daily, equivalent to 79kg of sugar annually.Ranvir asked: "Did you have a sugar addiction?" Jennifer replied: "I did. I didn't realise until I worked out how many cans of coke I was drinking a day.‌"I know it sounds silly, but it was kind of energy, so it was like getting through the day, having a can of coke."Ranvir asked: "So it was not eating, it was drinking a lot of fizzy drinks?" The soap star said, "Yes, I was drinking a lot of drinks."By the time someone put in front of me the amount of sugar I was drinking a day, I don't know how I've got any teeth left."Article continues belowShe went on to say: "People don't realise how addictive it is and that's the thing because there is not much education around it and there are not many people aware of how addictive it can be."Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX and G'wed season three is available to stream on ITVX.