© Rex Features / Julian Makey
Goodwin, best known for playing The Bill's June Ackland for 23 years, has taken on the role of Georgia Sharma - who first arrives in the village next week to meet Atkins's character Charity, her future daughter-in-law.
Atkins has now told Inside Soap that she was elated when she learned that she would be sharing scenes with the actress.
"I was very excited, because I think Trudie is a wonderful actress and a class act. I'm delighted to be filming with her," Atkins explained.
"Sometimes you don't get to work with new cast members - I hardly ever do scenes with Pauline Quirke, which is such a shame because she's been a brilliant addition to the show."
Although Charity is currently preparing to marry Georgia's son Jai (Chris Bisson), Atkins added that she would never rule out the possibility of Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) winning her back.
Asked whether the scheming pair could reunite, she replied: "Maybe by popular demand! I love working with Jeff, so here's hoping. It's inevitable they'll bump into one another in the village because they're related and have a daughter together."
Georgia makes her debut in next Thursday's Emmerdale double bill, joined by her husband Rishi (Bhasker Patel) and daughter Priya (Fiona Wade).
> Emmerdale star Trudie Goodwin: 'I won't stay on soap'
> Read more Emmerdale news and spoilers
