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 agent, Lauren screamed with her mum, sister and their dog before "crying." But while she looks back with fond memories, Lauren admits she's spent the past four months "completely stressed" thinking she would accidentally leak the bombshell. Fans first saw her during Sonia's formal hen do, with her bridesmaids taking part in a "Mr and Mrs quiz," grilling the bride to be.

"It was so nicely done, how both the hen and stag didn't work out in the way everyone wanted it to go, it really added to the end of the episode, it wasn't right for either of them but it's really nice to be a part of."

Lauren, who grew up watching the BBC sitcom went on to say: "I feel like they really did it justice. The reaction has been incredible, and it's so well deserved, because they tied it up beautifully. They gave the people what we wanted. I think in this day and age, there's so many endings of long running series that are just hopelessly disappointing.

"And you just think, 'Why did they do that?' But this one, I have no notes. It was just as a fan. As someone that's grown up watching the show and grown with these characters, it ended perfectly. I was sobbing. It was just so good."

Meanwhile, Jason star Robert Wilfort has heaped praise on Sonia star Laura in a social media post. He shared an image of her in character during Sonia's hen with text across it which read: "Didn't exist on paperwork. Stayed in seperate hotel. Smuggled from A to B. Missed the read-through. Missed the screening. Wonderful human. Nailed it Laura Aikman."

Alongside the image, Robert wrote: "All hail @lauraikman who was kept complete secret so as not to spoil the twist. And it never leaked. She is incredible as Sonia and so lovely in real life! Nicked the pic from @sophiehebron." Laura then replied: "Thanks Rob! You all made me feel so welcome from the start. Hope you’re buzzing today."