Holly Barton made a shocking return to more than eight years after her tragic death.
During Wednesday’s episode (November 20), Holly (played by Sophie Powles) visited mum Moira Dingle (Natalie Robb) in a dream as she underwent surgery to remove a brain tumour.
Moira was stunned to see her late daughter on the farm, with Holly revealing that she never meant to leave her mum and their family.
Although Holly suggested that Moira stay with her, she ultimately decided to return to her husband (Jeff Hordley) and their children.
But who was Holly and how did she die?
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Holly arrived in the village alongside mum Moira and the rest of the Barton family in 2009 (Image: ITV)
fans were first introduced to Holly when she relocated to the Dales in 2009 with her family, consisting of dad John (James Thornton), mum Moira, brother Adam (Adam Thomas) and sister Hannah – who later transitioned to become Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano).
After the party-loving schoolgirl embarked on an ill-fated romance with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), who was yet to come out as gay, she began dabbling with drugs.
Holly’s dependence on drugs began to increase when Moira’s affair with Cain was exposed, thus ripping the Barton family apart.
Her reliance on drugs got so severe that she began stealing and selling herself for sex to fund her habit. Holly’s addiction eventually led to her collapsing, leaving her parents with no choice but to force her to go cold turkey.
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Holly died from a drug overdose in 2016 (Image: Shared Content Unit)
But as Holly was trying to get clean, John was killed in a car crash in February 2012. The pain of losing her dad caused Holly to relapse and she overdosed again.
Cain discovered Holly unconscious and took her to hospital, ultimately saving her life. Holly insisted to her family that she would not take drugs again and decided to move to London with Hannah.
Four years later, Holly returned to the village and it soon emerged she was on the run from a drug dealer, having relapsed again.
The following six months saw Holly desperately try and get her life back on track with the help of her mum, who was now married to Cain.
But in a heartbreaking turn of events, Holly was found dead in her bed by Moira after overdosing on heroin in September 2016.