Fair City’s Hayley returns with a bang

Rebecca Grimes, best known for her role as Hayley Collins in RTÉ’s long-running soap Fair City, has described her return to the show as both thrilling and unexpectedly energizing. After welcoming her baby daughter with husband Paul Donegan in December, the actress took time away for maternity leave and admits she initially wasn’t sure how she’d feel about stepping back into Carrigstown.

Hayley was last seen on-screen in December, when her sudden departure to Dubai left husband James Rafferty blindsided. Now, her dramatic comeback brings shockwaves once again as she interrupts Milo’s birthday party to reveal she is pregnant. The revelation sparks an explosive confrontation, with James refusing to believe he is the father and accusing Hayley of fabricating the pregnancy.

Balancing New Motherhood and a Dramatic Return

Reflecting on the transition back to work, Grimes told RTÉ Entertainment that the experience has been far more uplifting than she expected. “It’s been a rollercoaster but it’s also been lovely. I thought I’d be dragged back kicking and screaming, holding on to the door at home. But I’m really not. I’m actually skipping out to work in the mornings,” she said.

For her, returning to Fair City has offered more than just a sense of routine — it has reignited her creativity. “It’s so nice to get back to doing something creative and something you love, and to be surrounded by people you genuinely enjoy working with. I feel very, very lucky.”

Explosive Storylines and Creative Fulfillment

Grimes admitted she was delighted to dive back into such an intense storyline, adding that the unpredictability of soap writing keeps things exciting. “As an actor, you never really know what you’re coming back into — you have no control over it. I could’ve been in The Hungry Pig chatting someone up, or I could’ve been flying back from Dubai in the condition I came back in,” she joked.

The actress laughed about her storyline’s dramatic edge, summing it up with a playful nod to her real-life journey into motherhood: “It’s great to come back with a bang — and a bump!”