The Young and the Restless fans have something to celebrate because Christel Khalil is back playing Lily Winters on the hit CBS soap.
Christel and Lily have been MIA since December, when Lily left to be near her daughter Mattie after a fire near her school.
It should be common knowledge now that Lily was written out so Christel could go on maternity leave.
The actress was expecting her second child, a son, in December.
Christel has yet to announce the birth of her baby boy, which is not a surprise considering she keeps her personal life extremely private.
What she has done, though, is revealed that she’s back on the Y&R set with two of her favorite people.
When will Christel Khalil be back on screen as Lily Winters on The Young and the Restless?
The other day, Christel took to her Instagram Stories to announce she had returned from maternity leave. Christel shared a backstage picture of her with Bryton James (Devon) and Eric Braeden (Victor).
There were smiles all around for the three, with Eric in the middle of the group hug. “Back at it!” was written on the photo as Christel let The Young and the Restless fans know she was filming again.
The news, of course, has sparked questions about when Lily will return to Genoa City. Since we don’t know how long Christel has been back at work, her return date may fluctuate a bit.
Y&R films six weeks in advance, so if we go by when Christel shared the picture, Lily should resurface on-screen in mid-to-late March.
However, Christel could have been filming days or even weeks before this was taken. That would mean if fans are lucky, Lily will pop back up before February sweeps end.
After all, her return would be a great sweeps moment, considering Daniel (Michael Graziadei) cheated on Lily with Heather (Vail Bloom) and plans to dump Lily when she’s back.
What can Y&R fans expect when Lily returns to Genoa City?
Daniel’s newfound love for his ex-wife means Lily is headed for a heartbreak when she comes home. Unfortunately, that won’t be the only drama Lily has to deal with upon her return to Genoa City.
Things have changed a lot at Chancellor-Winters since Lily left. Billy (Jason Thompson) and Chance (Conner Floyd) have joined the company at Jill’s (Jess Walton) urging.
In true Billy Boy fashion, he’s already shaking things up with his idea that Jill’s name should be added to the company title. The Young and the Restless spoilers tease that Devon and Billy clash, with all signs pointing to this being the issue.
Nate (Sean Dominic) is back in the Chancellor-Winters mix, too. Although Lily knew that was happening and signed off on his return, having Nate back will undoubtedly change the dynamic at the company, especially the more he conspires with Mamie (Veronica Redd).
Whatever happens when Lily’s back, here’s hoping the writers have a juicy storyline coming for the character.
Christel isn’t the only fan favorite returning to the hit CBS soap. Mishael Morgan is also back as Amanda, and you can read all about her return here.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.