Annie Jones used to feel "a bit sad" every time one of her ‘Neighbours’ stints ended.
The 53-year-old actress portrayed Jane Harris – aka Plain Jane Superbrain – from 1986 to 1989 on the soap and then returned for a number of cameos, but the star has now put pen to paper on a permanent return, and hopes she can "stay forever".
She said: "I always felt a bit sad after each stint finished as I had such a great time.
"Then they’d invite me back again and I’d have another wonderful couple of weeks, then be sad when it ended. So this time I thought, ‘Let’s stay forever.’ "
Annie made a name for herself as Jane but she left the role once her mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and dedicated her life to caring for her.
And the star – whose mum sadly died in 2016 – has admitted returning to Ramsay Street has felt like she is "in a little time warp".
She added to RadioTimes.com: "I’m back in the 80s, I’m 19 years old, going to work at Nunawading studios in Melbourne every day – and loving it.
"I’m really thankful to be back."
Annie initially departed the show shortly after Kylie Minogue (Charlene Robinson) and Jason Donovan (Scott Robinson) left the Australian soap, and she believes exiting Erinsborough in the late 80s helped to make her a "better person in many ways."
She recently said: "I just wanted to do other things, join other shows and do other jobs. A great number of actors had gone on to do amazing things after ‘Neighbours’.
"I don’t regret it. It’s probably made me a better person in many ways. I think you learn from the stuff that life throws at you, that’s what it’s all about, life experiences."