An Emmerdale favourite has spoken of being ‘absolutely devastated’ when she learned her character was being killed off.
Charlie Hardwick played Val Pollard for 11 years until her on-screen death in 2015. She spoke to the Soap From The Box podcast about discovering her character was for the axe.
She said: “If any actor had said to me ‘Oh, they’ve told me my character is going to die and I was absolutely devastated, I’d say ‘Get a grip, man’.
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“Then I found out I was going to die and I was absolutely devastated. But I was really, really horrified.
“Not because I wanted to come back, not because I thought ‘oh, keep the door open’. But because I didn’t want Val to die.
“I just assumed she would go off after Amy, who was the biggest love of her life. And the idea that Pollard was going to be on his own, it was terrible. ‘I even cancelled my leaving party.”
Val died when she was trapped in a mirror maze after a helicopter crashed into the village. A shard of glass from one of the mirrors was hanging above her and it ultimately fell on her.
Charlie, who has appeared in Ackley Bridge and The Accidental Medium since leaving Emmerdale, said: “It was terrible when I first heard. But I talked to my niece and I said ‘they want to kill her off, just between me and you’.
“She said ‘well, the thing is, if you’ve got to go, you might as well go with a bang’
.
“I thought you’re right, you’re absolutely right, I’ve got to get over myself and I’ve got to make the most of this exit. And, we relished it.”
You can hear the full interview from the Soap From The Box podcast when it goes live on Sunday, March 7.
You can also find out all the latest Emmerdale news, features and gossip by visiting our homepage dedicated to the ITV soap.
