Susan Cookson has joined \'Emmerdale\'.
The 54-year-old star will appear as Wendy, the mother of Victoria Sugden\'s (Isabel Hodgins) rapist Lee - portrayed by Kris Mochrie - on the ITV soap next month, and she can\'t wait to get stuck into the "gritty and emotional storylines".
She said: "I am thrilled and delighted to be joining the community, both on and off screen, that is \'Emmerdale\'.
"I am also excited about tackling all the gritty and emotional storylines that are ahead for my character Wendy. I\'m thrilled to be playing such a fantastic character."
Wendy will head to the village next month to defend her evil son.
Executive producer Jane Hudson added: "Susan is a fabulous addition to the cast and we are delighted to have welcomed her onto the \'Emmerdale\' team.
"She is a brilliant actor and we can\'t wait for the drama Wendy brings to play out."
Susan is no stranger to the Dales, having starred as DI Judy Dove in the ITV soap in 2003, and she also knows what life is like on the \'Coronation Street\' cobbles, having appeared as Callum Logan\'s (Sean Ward) mother Marion Logan from 2015 to 2016.
She is perhaps best known for starring in \'Casualty\' as Maggie Coldwell from 2005 to 2008 and again in 2009 and 2015 spells, and has been in \'Early Doors\', \'Fat Friends\', \'Moving On\' and \'Waterloo Road\'.
Susan\'s \'Emmerdale\' casting comes after Victoria was raped by Lee following a night out earlier this year.
Victoria had only met menacing Lee just hours earlier in a nightclub, and he persuaded her to let him walk her home after they got chucked out of their taxi.
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