The former Horndean schoolgirl will star alongside Jimmy Osmond. He was the youngest person ever to top the singles charts - with Long Haired Lover From Liverpool in 1972.

Chicago will be at the Kings, Southsea, from May 25-30, and was always likely to be a massive hit for the theatre. Now the casting for the national tour makes that a certainty.

Emma was in EastEnders for three years from 2005 before being axed last summer when producers felt her character and storyline had run their course.

She said at the time: 'I was gutted when they told me. Filming those last scenes was really sad.'

Viewers saw Honey leave Albert Square in the back of a taxi with her two children. On-screen husband Billy Mitchell, played by Perry Fenwick, was left distraught when his family deserted him.

In 2007 Emma and Perry were nominated for a British Soap Award for Best Storyline involving their Down Syndrome daughter, and Emma has become involved in charity work for severely ill children.

Musical theatre is nothing new to her. Before joining EastEnders, she starred in a string of touring productions including Grease and Love Shack, and after leaving the soap she expressed a wish to return to that kind of work.

'I love doing musical theatre,' she said.

Jimmy Osmond, who will play Billy Flynn in Chicago, is the youngest member of a world-famous family who have sold more than 100 million records.

He made his UK stage debut in Boogie Nights in Blackpool in 2004, and was a contestant in I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here in 2005.
Before touring in Chicago, he is making his West End stage debut in Grease for six weeks.
Kings tickets: (023) 9282 8282 or kings-southsea.com.