Emily Symons still misses her 'Emmerdale' cast mates.
Emily Symons
The 50-year-old actress - who is from Australia - played barmaid Louise Appleton for seven years until her exit back in 2008, and she admitted there was a "very special" bond on the set of the ITV soap.
She told RadioTimes.com: "We had a great social life on 'Emmerdale'.
"I made so many wonderful friends up there and I do miss that aspect.
"The camaraderie is very special. Charley Webb (Debbie Dingle) is still a very dear friend, she's just had a baby and is enjoying spending time with her family.
"I also keep in touch with Sheree Murphy (Tricia Dingle) and Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle). We chat to each other on Instagram."
Emily's stint in the Dales came in between long-term spells on Australian soap 'Home And Away', having first played Marilyn Chambers from 1989 to 1992, before returning for four years in 1995 and then making her latest comeback a decade ago.
Reflecting on her experiences, she said: "I love working in soap. It's a great medium, the writers are so clever to keep churning out these stories year after year and coming up with magical, wonderful situations.
"It's not easy. I had a great experience on both shows but am happy to be back in Australia with my real family, and my TV family!"
And Emily admitted there are definitely some "similarities" between the two shows and the "small communities" they focus on.
She added: "I guess there are similarities between Emmerdale and Summer Bay, they are both small communities and the stories rotate around the locals and the visitors.
"And they are both beautiful locations, we have many tourists from the UK coming to Palm Beach where we shoot 'Home and Away'. You can do a bus tour now!"