are protected – it’s very much a bubble. That’s lovely, but I’d never been a jobbing actress and I really needed that." In March 2008, it was reported that O'Brien was "seriously" considering a return to the soap just three months after leaving as she "struggled" to find acting work since an appearance in a Christmas pantomime. Ryan Thomas, who was O'Brien's boyfriend at the time, stated that he would "love" her to make a return to the soap so that they could work together again. It was reported again in July 2009 that she was to return to the role of Sarah for an "explosive" Christmas storyline in December 2009, but O'Brien denied these rumors saying that she was not going to make a comeback "anytime soon". In November 2011, the Daily Star revealed that Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson was planning on bringing back O'Brien and Nikki Sanderson who played Candice Stowe between 1999 and 2005 in a bid to fill the gap left by the departures of Helen Flanagan who played Rosie Webster and Katherine Kelly who played Becky McDonald. A source told the paper: "He's aware that Sarah-Lou and Candice were hugely popular characters. He thinks it would be a ratings winner to bring them back. Losing Katherine and Helen is a big blow to the show, so Phil wants to beef things up a bit with the return of a couple of big names." O'Brien revealed in January 2012 that bosses had not approached her about a return to the soap. O'Brien has since revealed that she is worried that another actress might take over the role of Sarah. In December 2012, a reporter from The Sunday Mirror reported that O'Brien would reprise her role in 2013, but the actress later denied the report. Reintroduction On 23 October 2014, it was announced that O'Brien had reprised her role and that Sarah would be returning to the show in Spring 2015. Speaking about her return, O'Brien said "I am delighted to be returning. Sarah has a lot of history and unfinished business on the street and I'm looking forward to finding out what she's been up to and why she's returned home." O'Brien returned to filming on 2 February 2015. Helen Worth who plays Sarah's mum Gail Platt spoke of O'Brien's return on ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain saying: "I am absolutely delighted. I found