Ryan Hawley, a former Emmerdale star, has joined the cast of Casualty.

Ryan is best known for playing the role of Robert Sugden in the ITV soap from 2014-2019.

The story of Robert and love interest Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), known to viewers as Robron, won a legion of fans, making them one of soap’s most loved couples ever.

The husbands, however, were torn apart back in 2019 when their love story ultimately ended in tragedy after Ryan made the decision to leave the show.

Robert’s final scenes saw him jailed after he was arrested by the police, turning himself in for the attack on Lee Posner, who had raped his sister Victoria Barton.

Since departing Emmerdale, Ryan has gone on to appear in Silent Witness, playing Michael Robson in two episodes, sporting a long hairstyle and a beard.

This coming Saturday, Ryan will return to our screens in the first episode of Casualty’s latest boxset, Storm Damage.

Ryan will play the role of Jamie Cleveland, a member of the board at Holby City Hospital.

Also joining the show alongside Ryan is Kellie Shirley. She plays Sophia Peters, but is best known for playing Shirley’s (Linda Henry) daughter Carly in EastEnders.

The first episode of Storm Damage, titled Sinking Ships, will centre around Cam (Barney Walsh), who makes a tough decision in the middle of his shift.

As a storm threatens Holby, Stevie (Elinor Lawless) makes an unexpected connection, while Tariq (Manpreet Bachu) tries to help Rash (Neet Mohan).

At the end of the last series Breaking Point, viewers watched Manpreet and Rida (Sarah Seggari) by Rash’s hospital bedside, hours after he attempted to end his life.

The beloved doctor experienced an incredibly dark time following the death of his father. Overwhelmed with his emotions and struggling to find any hope, Rash felt their was no other option.

Fortunately, he was found by Tariq and then rushed to hospital.

‘I guess there’s always some pressure but I was also really excited to tell the story because I think the show’s in such a good place and it’s telling such interesting stories’, Neet Mohan previously told us discussing how he felt to be at the centre of such a powerful plot.

‘I had hoped and believed that it would be told in a really interesting way and that we could shine a light on the real NHS and what people are going through, not just in the NHS but in general, which the show does so well. So importantly, what many medical staff are feeling and the pressures they’re under.

‘I think particularly now it felt like a really important story to tell. I feel really honoured to be able to tell it through Rash and I think having someone like Rash, we’ve seen him travel quite a journey, having someone like him at the forefront of this was a really interesting way for the show to tell the story at this particular time.’