Louisa Lytton is returning to EastEnders more than a decade after she first appeared on the BBC One soap.
The 29-year-old is set to reprise her role as Ruby Allen, the daughter of Walford gangster Johnny Allen (Billy Murray), a part she first played in 2005.
Her character became romantically involved with Sean Slater (played by Robert Kazinsky) and was friendly with his sister, Stacey (played by Lacey Turner).
Lytton said: “EastEnders was my first acting job out of drama school and opened so many doors for me.
“It’s wonderful to be given the opportunity to come back and explore my character and I’m excited to see what’s in store for Ruby.
“We last saw her 12 years ago as a young girl and now she is returning as a woman with scope for major change and some brilliantly challenging storylines.”
John Yorke, the show’s executive consultant, said: “Louisa is a fantastic actress and I am delighted that she is returning to EastEnders.
“Now 12 years older, viewers will see a much more mature and confident Ruby who is set to be involved in one of our biggest storylines later this year.”
Lytton departed the soap in 2006, the same year she joined the celebrity line-up for the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing.
She was partnered with Vincent Simone and the couple made it as far as week 10.
She went on to star in ITV’s The Bill as police constable Beth Green from 2007 to 2009.
In 2016 she took part in celebrity sports show The Jump and was the first contestant to be booted off the reality series.
Her return to Walford will air later this year, the BBC said.