Emmerdale's Fiona Wade has announced she will leave the ITV show after 11 years on screen.
The 43-year-old, who portrays Priya Sharma, the sister of Nikhil and Jai Sharma, first appeared on the soap in November 2011. While the news have already been widely reported, her character's exit storyline has been kept under wraps.
Over the years, Fiona has enjoyed a number of dramatic storylines and even got to meet her future husband, Simon Cotton, on set. While Simon didn't stick around on the show for very long, he clearly made an impression on Fiona.
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The pair enjoyed a lovely dinner before embarking on a relationship. Simon and Fiona went public with their romance in 2018 and tied the knot the following year.
In terms of acting, her career already began while she was still at school and juggling GCSE. She was cast as Joanna Day in Grange Hill when she was 16, and also has credits in Holby City, Coronation Street, and Where The Heart Is.
Below we have taken a look at Fiona's life - from her fairytale wedding to Simon to losing her dad when she was just 24.
Dad's cancer death aged 64
When she was just 24, Fiona, who is half English and half Filipino, sadly lost her dad Colin to oesophageal cancer. The actress said she had never heard of this type of cancer before which is why she decided to team up with the Oesophageal & Gastric Cancer Charity (OPA) and became its patron.
In a tribute to her dad, she said: "He was such an amazing person, the best father I could ever wish for and it was so sad and shocking when he was diagnosed. I had never heard of this type of cancer before and I always feel to this day that if we had been more aware of oesophageal cancer or reflux disease then for sure earlier diagnosis would have made a huge difference and maybe saved his life.
"Early diagnosis by spreading awareness is absolutely key in saving lives from this cancer, so please help us to carry on doing all we can to make people more aware and help us to save lives and to support and reassure everyone who needs our help."
On the 10-year-anniversary of his death, she said on Instagram: "Can't believe it's been 10 years since I lost my amazing dad. Think of u everyday, and you're still the most beautiful person I've ever known.
"You have the purest soul, Such a wonderful father to me, I'm so lucky to have had you in my life. I love you."
Fairytale wedding to Simon Cotton
Fiona and her husband had their Bahá’í Faith ceremony at the Euridge Manor and Orangery in The Cotswolds. The venue boasted Georgian-style architecture, sparkling water features, an ancient castle, rose gardens and even a thatched boat house.
Fiona, who was half an hour late to her own wedding, wore a beautiful Berta gown from The Wedding Club, which the actress said she fell in love with straight away. The blushing bride was walked down the aisle by her mum Tessie.
She told OK! Magazine: "I was so emotional. When I was getting ready, me, my mum and best friend Kirsty had a bit of a cry.
"You always dream of that moment and you hope your dad is going to walk you down the aisle, and in the months approaching the wedding I was more emotional about my dad. I’ve had my moments thinking about that and crying, but I was with my mum and it was really special."
Bullied at school
Unfortunately, Fiona did not have a great time at school. She said in an interview with the Mirror that she would get picked on "for being a little different".
She said: "We have all been through a bit of a rough time at school – and I definitely had my time of being picked on. When you are a little different at school it singles you out. I was into my singing, dancing and acting and so I stood out.
“People would call me names and I was a different race so got picked on for that. It was always by the other kids, I didn’t get any racist abuse from adults, thank goodness."
She added: "It was nothing I couldn’t handle though. When I look back now, I survived it so it is all ok. People are always going to pick on you if you are a bit different. But different is good, people should never worry about that."
Battle with anxiety
Fiona previously opened up about her nearly three-decade-long battle with anxiety. She told OK Magazine: "I’m a very positive person, so it’s weird to think I can be anxious and worried about things all the time.
"But that’s the thing: you can be confident, love your life and be happy and still have the most crippling anxiety. You just never know what’s going on with someone."
She added: “At my lowest point, when I was a little bit older, I literally couldn’t even get on the train. I couldn’t do anything.
"Looking back, it was because I’d taken on so much. I was at a young age when I didn’t understand myself. Now I do and so it doesn’t stop me from doing anything.”
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