Gavin and Stacey star Laura Aikman previously hinted at her return to the BBC series as Sonia in an interview three months ago.
The Christmas Day finale had fans on the edge of their seats when Smithy’s (James Corden) fiancé was revealed as Laura’s character Sonia, instead of Ruth Jones’ Nessa.
Her appearance came as a shock to the nation, as Laura was ‘hidden’ in a separate hotel during filming and she had signed a non-disclosure agreement that prevented her from revealing that she was returning.
However, another interview with appeared Country and mansion has revealed that the actress has actually dropped a very big hint.
Although the conversation turned to her starring role in ITV’s Joan, the interviewer started questioning Laura about how life was going at the time.
She replied, “Life is pretty amazing right now. I’m coming to the end of a job I’ve absolutely loved with a dream cast and crew, and I’m really trying to take it all in and appreciate every minute of it.”
Gavin and Stacey star Laura Aikman previously hinted at her return to the BBC series as Sonia, in an interview three months ago (pictured in September)
The Christmas Day finale had fans on the edge of their seats when Smithy’s (James Corden) fiancé was revealed as Laura’s character Sonia, instead of Ruth Jones’ Nessa.
But as 12.5 million viewers gasped in shock at the big reveal, no one was more stunned than her beloved parents – who had no idea she was making her big comeback.
The next morning on Boxing Day, the actress took to Instagram to share a clip of the moment the big surprise was revealed to her unsuspecting parents.
She wrote: “The moment my family realizes Sonia is ruining Christmas again…” alongside the hilarious video.
Her mother’s mouth flew open as she sat up and pointed at the screen before screaming, “Oh my God! What?! You never told us!’
Laura couldn’t help but laugh and replied, “We never told anyone!” while the rest of her family continued to scream in surprise in the background.
Laura added in the caption, “I take NDA very seriously #gavinandstaceythefinal #gavinandstacey.”
Gavin And Stacey director Christine Gernon also took to Instagram after the finale aired to reveal the extent of the extreme measures taken to keep her comeback secret.
The director shared a photo of Laura with Alison Steadman, who plays Pam in the BBC show, and joked: ‘@lauraikman spent the entire g&s shoot hidden away.
‘I was staying at another hotel and wasn’t allowed to come to any wrap or film screenings, so no one knew Sonia was back. Such an amazing revelation. And she’s great as an actor and a person.”
Her appearance came as a shock to the nation, as Laura was ‘hidden’ in a separate hotel during filming and she had signed a non-disclosure agreement that prevented her from revealing the secret.
However, a resurfaced interview with Country and Townhouse has revealed that the actress actually dropped a very big hint
It comes after she shared the adorable moment her parents discovered she was returning to the sitcom while watching the highly anticipated finale on Christmas Day.
Her mother’s mouth flew open as she sat up and pointed at the screen before screaming, “Oh my God! What?! You never told us!’
Laura added in the caption: ‘I take NDA very seriously #gavinandstaceythefinal #gavinandstacey’
Sonia’s bridesmaid Anna, played by Lauren Cornelius, also detailed how the plot was kept under wraps, with nothing given away until the first read.
Speaking in an interview with The mirror, she explained: ‘We only met Laura during filming, she was a secret, she was in different hotels and not allowed to be part of anything. She didn’t exist, her name wasn’t on anything.
“I first heard the story because none of us had gotten the script. We knew nothing, everything was revealed when we first read through it.”
James Corden also gave Laura multiple names throughout the process to keep everyone guessing.
“First it was Katie, then Leticia, and then it was Anna,” she said. “It was totally wild, it was surreal in itself, it was absolutely incredible.”
The Christmas special and finale came five years after the show’s final Christmas episode in 2019.
The previous episode, filmed half a decade ago, had fans on the edge of their seats waiting to see what Smithy would say to Nessa after she got down on one knee.
The final episode was praised as ‘perfect’ by viewers, who were left in tears when the long-running show finally aired its final episode after 17 years.
Gavin And Stacey director Christine Gernon also took to Instagram after the finale aired to reveal the extent of the extreme measures taken to keep her comeback secret under wraps
Sonia’s bridesmaid Anna, played by Lauren Cornelius (right), also explained how the plot was kept under wraps, with nothing given away until the first read.
With tears in his eyes, Smithy got down on one knee to propose, after Nessa told him she would never ask him again after her 2019 proposal
It was a finale that brought a long-awaited conclusion to the story that began in 2007, and fans rushed to social media to praise the ‘perfect’ ending.
While fans tuned into the episode to see if Smithy had accepted Nessa’s proposal, a five-year time jump revealed that he was indeed on the verge of tying the knot, but all was not as it seemed.
It was revealed that Smithy had instead gotten engaged to his girlfriend Sonia, who failed to impress the Shipman/West clan when she met them in the last festive episode.
Fans were also treated to the surprise returns of Sheridan Smith as Smithy’s sister Rudi, and Pam Ferris as his mother Cath.
But when it came to Smithy’s big day, he realized Nessa was his one true love and called off the wedding.
The entire family jumped into Dave’s carriage and rushed to Southampton, where Nessa prepared to set sail, and in a scene seventeen years in the making, he declared his love for her and asked her to reconsider her departure.
While the ever-stoic Nessa insisted she wouldn’t propose to Smithy again, he instead reciprocated her offer from five years earlier, eventually getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him.
The episode then cut to Smithy and Nessa finally exchanging vows in an intimate ceremony in Barry, with the series ending with an emotional montage of the family marking the occasion at The Dolphin pub, before posing together for a family snap.