EastEnders has confirmed that Belinda Owusu will return as Libby Fox later this month, bringing the character back to the Square after nine years away. She is already filming at the soap’s set in Elstree, Hertfordshire, and will be on screen within a matter of weeks.
The timing explains why viewers are searching now: the return was announced on 5 June, and it picks up a story the show first teased on New Year’s Day, when Libby made an unannounced appearance in an episode set one year in the future. Owusu said coming back after 20 years since she first joined felt like returning home, while the show described the move as another piece of the puzzle in its flashforward storyline.
For the Fox-Trueman family, Libby is coming back at a difficult moment. Denise Fox has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, and Libby returns to support her family while the story turns toward the emotional fallout around them. It is also the first time Owusu will perform alongside Zaraah Abrahams as Chelsea Fox, adding another layer to a family unit that has been kept apart for years.
That reunion may not last long. Owusu is only back for a short stint, and while Libby’s return is tied to the family crisis and the New Year’s Day flashforward, EastEnders has not said whether she will stay on-screen beyond this appearance or leave again before any possible return at New Year. For now, the show has given fans a dateable comeback and left the next move hanging.
