LEGENDARY Emmerdale star Glenda McKay is making a return to soap – 26 years after being killed off.

The actress played Joe Tate’s mother Rachel Hughes in the ITV soap for 11 years between 1988 and 1999.

She famously stepped away from acting shortly after leaving, having joined the soap at 17 alongside her real-life brother Craig McKay.

But now she’s making a return to screens – and soap – in sister show Coronation Street.

A source said: “Glenda is making an acting comeback 13 years after she was last on TV – she’ll be playing a social worker called Alison Hale who deals with Tim and Sally.

“Just as she arrives to tell them they’re set to foster the Michealis children, a shocking incident happens that throws everything into chaos.”

The actress bowed out of Emmerdale in 1999 with Rachel being dramatically killed off in a domestic abuse storyline.

At the time Glenda said: “I’ve been at Emmerdale for 11 years so it is a big change, but there comes a time when you have to go.

“I have other strings to my bow, and now seems like the right time to put them to the test.”

More than a decade later she returned to the soap as a visitor after taking a step back from acting to become a teacher.

She took her class on a visit to the soap’s set and reunited with some of her co-stars.

“The children were delighted to meet Chris Chittell who answered all their questions about what it is like to be famous and what is involved in being a soap actor,” she told the Ilkley Gazette at the time.

“It really was quite a trip for the class and I was delighted that they all behaved well and represented their school with pride.

“They also all appreciated how fortunate they were and were genuinely bowled over by their experience.”