being destroyed". Connie later had an affair with John Grayson (Benedick Blythe), husband of hospital CEO Jayne Grayson (Stella Gonet). She ended their relationship when she discovered he was Jayne's husband, which Mealing has deemed "the ultimate sacrifice", explaining Connie's motivations as being unwilling to hurt Jayne. She has assessed that: "Connie truly loved John and she thought he loved her, too." When Connie discovers John has moved on and has another lover, "it breaks her heart. She realises what they had wasn’t love... It was sex." Crossovers Connie has appeared in several crossover episodes with Holby City sister show Casualty. The first full length crossover episode between the two, styled Casualty@Holby City was broadcast as a 2004 Christmas special, and saw Connie perform a heart transplant with only emergency power and a rudimentary theatre team, trapped inside a burning building after a lorry crashed into the hospital and caused an explosion, which starts a fire. Mealing has commented on the crossover: "I think it was a fantastic idea to show the two dramas in one hospital - as it is supposed to be. Connie and Harry are the bosses of their individual dramas so to see how they work together is great. And yes, it is going to be very dramatic - fantastic Christmas viewing". Casualty Mealing was announced to be reprising her role in July 2013, but would appear in Holby City sister show, Casualty. Connie would return, having retrained as a consultant in emergency medicine, billed as "demanding but fair". Mealing said she was "surprised" when she was asked to reprise her role in Casualty. She said she was hoping that Connie's return would be "as exciting for fans as it is for [her]." She added that she couldn't "wait to get those heels back on and get to work". The show's executive producer Oliver Kent described Connie, following her return, as "a brilliant top-dog" and "demanding but fair". He said he felt "very lucky" when Mealing accepted the chance to return. Kent teased that Connie's arrival would "set the cat among the pigeons", especially with the emergency department's feisty clinical lead Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) and consultant Martin "Ash" Ashford (Patrick Robinson). He added that Connie would "instantly upstage" Zoe and Ash. Kent said that Connie and Zoe would develop a "fun rivalry" and that Connie's arrival would "put Ash in a very different place". Connie