Emmerdale's much-loved Faith Dingle will soon be making her exit from the ITV soap and actress Sally Dexter has spoken out on her regrets about asking bosses to kill off her on-screen persona.
Faith's fate is sealed after the beloved character was diagnosed with terminal cancer. After undergoing treatment in an effort to give her more time, Faith was told this week that her cancer had spread and that the treatment had failed.
Faith Dingle is the ex-wife of Shadrach Dingle and the mother of Cain and Chas Dingle and is well known for bringing cheer and energy on screen.
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Sally Dexter took over the role of Faith Dingle in 2017 and despite not being the first actress to play the character, she quickly made the character her own and has since become a firm favourite amongst fans.
She took a brief break from the role for a period of 18 months back in 2019, but the actress's return to the show was welcomed by fans who had hoped this meant the villager was going to be sticking around for the forseeable.
Sadly, just over a year later, Faith is soon to be killed off after being diagnosed with terminal secondary cancer, it has been reported her death was always on the cards.
And while it was her decision to bring an end to her character's life, Sally seems to have serious regrets over telling the show's bosses she would leave.
In an interview with our colleagues at The Mirror Sally explained that when she was approached to return as her formidable character, she asked producers if this could be the end for Faith.
The actress wanted to tie up loose ends with her children as a way of clearing her conscious for walking out on them when they were younger, however, her idea was somewhat different to the way things have panned out.
Sally's vision was for Faith to save the days when a gunman entered the pub and started shooting, however, producers were keen to follow on from her characters previous cancer storyline.
With secondary cancer having a huge impact on individuals and their families, the team knew this was something viewers at home could relate to and therefore brought this storyline to the forefront of the show.
The Faith Dingle star voiced her doubts: "I am hugely sad that it means I will be leaving again, in fact, I have been asking myself why I suggested she died. It’s so fantastic working on Emmerdale.
"I think I might start introducing the idea to them of having an Emmerdale ghost" she joked, Sally said the "emotional" cancer storyline which she says has been "tough to film" has made her realise just how lucky she is: "In all seriousness this storyline makes me realise how lucky I am."
Following a special episode looking back on her life with her children, it seems Faith's final days are going to see her surrounded by her family and even her long-standing feud with Cain will be concluded before we say our final goodbyes to Faith.
You can visit our Emmerdale homepage to find the latest gossip about the soap and its stars. There you'll also find our Emmerdale features and news about the show's 50th anniversary plans.
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