Home and Away confirms shock return for Ziggy and Dean

 "It feels so good to be home!"

Home and Away has confirmed that Sophie Dillman and Patrick O'Connor will be back as Ziggy Astoni and Dean Thompson next year.

Scenes will be filmed later this month in the Whitsunday Region of tropical north Queensland for a top-secret storyline, which will play out on screen sometime in 2025.

On returning to the legendary Aussie soap, Dillman said: "It feels so good to be home!"

O'Connor added: "I can't wait for the action, and for fans to see this storyline play out."

It is not yet known who or what will be involved in Ziggy and Dean's return, but Home and Away fans will find out all the details in the New Year.

The fan-favourite couple left Home and Away in 2023 following the birth of their daughter Izzy.

After Dean received the bad news that his ex, Amber, was moving to North Queensland with their son, Jai, Dean realised he'd be a 21-hour drive from Jai.

Ziggy suggested that she and Dean make the move to Queensland, too, so the couple quickly packed up and said their goodbyes to friends and family – including Dean's sister Mackenzie.

In their final moments in the Bay, Dean and Ziggy took a trip down memory lane and reminisced over their time together – which wasn't always plain sailing.

Following their exits, both Dillman, who joined the soap in 2017, and O'Connor, who arrived in 2018, shared goodbye messages reflecting on their time in the Bay.