EastEnders legend Anita Dobson has spoken about how she was sworn to secrecy over her return for the 40th anniversary.

The actor played Angie Watts again briefly last week, appearing as a figment of a delirious Sharon’s imagination to give her the strength to call for help.

Her comeback wasn’t spoiled in advance, and in an interview with BBC Radio she said that she was told that she couldn’t tell anyone except for husband Brian May.

“We were sworn to silence,” she said. “We’d be shot if we divulged any information.”

She added that she had to be “smuggled” into the set in order to stop anyone from finding out.

This new interview follows on from similar comments she made last week, where she stated that it became harder for her to keep the secret after she was publicly confirmed for the documentary 40 Years on the Square, presented by Ross Kemp.

In fact, the plan was only for her to feature in the documentary at first, but Sharon actor Letitia Dean convinced her to play her iconic role again.

“When they initially asked if I would come back when I was filming for the documentary,” she said. “I wasn’t really thinking of the whole picture at first, and then when they said Letitia had said that she’d like me to do it with her, I thought, ‘Oh my god, I can’t say no to seeing my baby again.'”