BBC Gavin and Stacey star reveals extreme lengths taken to hide major return as Jason star heaps praise

There were jaws on the floor on Christmas Day after minutes went by with Gavin and Stacey fans believing Neil 'Smithy' Smith was preparing to marry Vanessa 'Nessa' Jenkins after her proposal back in 2019.

But in a twist that not even the cast saw coming, Sonia burst back into viewers' lives during the final ever episode of the BBC One sitcom as it was revealed it was her that Smithy was marrying, five years after fans were left wondering if he accepted Nessa's Christmas proposal.

And while it was a surprise to fans, those taking part in the finale, which racked up an impressive 12.3 million viewers on the night it aired, had no idea Laura Aikman's character was returning until arriving onto set as they show went to extreme lengths to keep the special's plot under wraps.

Bridesmaid Anna, played by Lauren Cornelius has now told the Mirror: "We never met Laura until filming, she was secret, she was in different hotels and not allowed to be part of anything. She didn't exist, her name wasn't on anything."

In a bid to keep Sonia's return a secret, bosses often had her hiding her with umbrellas to ensure no details leaked. Lauren also had no idea what she was auditioning for when she was asked to film a self-tape, before being recalled to do a brief read-through with creators Ruth Jones and James Corden, who play Nessa and Smithy.

Lauren's character was so secret that Ruth and James gave her several names throughout the audition process. "It was Katie first, then it was Leticia, and then it was Anna," she said. "It was totally wild, it was surreal in itself, it was absolutely incredible," she commented, before adding that she had an agonising four day wait to find out if she had bagged the role.

After being told by her