Sophie Dillman is headed back to Home And Away and she’s on her way to Mandurah for Crab Fest

Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor are back on Home And Away two years after departing the hit show — and Dillman is headed our way for Mandurah Crab Fest next weekend.

“I am so excited. I love Perth, and I love seafood … those crabs had better watch out, because I will be eating every single one of them!” Dillman told The Sunday Times.

Dillman, along with her real-life partner O’Connor, will appear on screens once again playing their popular characters Ziggy and Dean in explosive storylines set to kick off next week.

Dillman said she is looking forward to reconnecting with fans and talking about what’s to come for her character at the annual Mandurah-based event.

“When it was announced (that we were returning) we had so much outpouring of love from fans, saying they cannot wait for us to be back, it’s been great,” Dillman said.

The couple, who fell in love during the six years they starred alongside one another on Home And Away, have been based in the UK for the past few years.

“We were flown back to do the show,” Dillman said. “And, honestly, the idea for the storyline just sat so well with our characters and what they stood for.

“I think we would have been stupid to say no!”

Filming took place last October, and saw the couple head to The Whitsundays in tropical north Queensland for their storyline, which also involves fan favourites Levi (Tristan Gorey) and Mackenzie (Emily Weir).

“We got to do it in Queensland which is where we’re from originally, and selfishly, I hadn’t actually been to those parts, so I really felt like it was the perfect combination: come home, see my family, do the thing I love with the people I love — it was a no-brainer,” Dillman said.

In fact, she said the couple enjoyed their stint back in Australia so much, they decided it was time to move home permanently again.

Dillman returned a few weeks ago with the couple’s dog, with O’Connor due to join her shortly.

“Paddy is still over there in the UK — he did some more work, and he wants to do some more travel — so I’ve got the dog, and I’m here in the sunshine,” she said.

“Filming (in Queensland) was a dream: we would wake up in the morning and look outside and be like, ‘I cannot believe this is my job today!’”

The episodes, which begin to unfold this week, see Levi surprise Mackenzie with tickets to Queensland. It’s his chance to get acquainted with his partner’s stoic former-River Boy half-brother, Dean.

“We see where Ziggy and Dean have moved to in Queensland; where their house is,” Dillman said.

“And we get to meet their baby, grown up a bit.”

But, true to form, it’s not smooth sailing ahead for the couple.

“We embark on a family journey and then, in a twist of fate, Mac and Ziggy actually get kidnapped by two escaped prisoners,” Dillman said.

“Dean and Levi watch them storm off in a speeding vehicle, and those two have to figure out how to find us and save us.

“I thought Summer Bay was the only dangerous place you could live in Australia!

“But it seems danger follows us wherever we go.”

Fans are sure to be invested in the storyline. Does this mean a more permanent return to Summer Bay could be on the cards?

“I mean, I would love the opportunity to come back to the Bay — I always say that. I want to be Marilyn when I grow up!” Dillman said.

Ziggy and Dean return to Home And Away on Monday, March 10, at 7pm on Seven. Mandurah Crab Fest is on from March 15-16