Emmerdale fans were delighted earlier this week when Diane Sugden made a return to the Yorkshire village. It may only be a temporary comeback but it came at the perfect time, ahead of the ITV soap's 50th anniversary and Sally Dexter's last scenes as Faith Dingle.
Earlier this week, the Dingle's pulled out all the stops to give Faith a special day at the seaside. After planning a trip to Filey, a determined Faith was adamant she wanted the trip to go ahead despite suffering a fall and her health taking a turn. And after promising his mum that they'd go through with her plans, Cain actually enlisted the help of Faith's family and friends to bring the beach to her.
Faith was thrilled to bits and there were many poignant moments in the scenes as Faith took everything in, while watching her family revel in the fun. And before long, there was one last surprise in store, courtesy of daughter Chas and Rodney Blackstock as an ice cream van parked up and as Faith was guided over to it, Diane appeared through the window.
READ MORE: ITV Emmerdale's Sally Dexter shares moving goodbye message after Faith Dingle's heartbreaking death
Elizabeth Estensen originally left the long-running soap last year. The actress cemented herself as a fan favourite when she joined the cast of Emmerdale 1999 and the character spent 22 years at the heart of life in Emmerdale.
Diane was was the landlord of the iconic Woolpack pub for 17 years and has been involved in dramatic storylines such as her rollercoaster relationship with conman Charlie, being held hostage in a siege, being stabbed, nearly dying in a helicopter crash which killed her sister and she twice underwent cancer treatment.
But the character's final episode aired on October 29, 2021, when she departed the village in a Rolls Royce in search of a new life in Portugal.
Despite retiring from the ITV soap, Elizabeth agreed to make a return for the soap's 50th anniversary, but just on a temporary basis. And while the 72-year-old is famed for her role in the Dales, some fans may have forgot she previously had a role in rival soap Coronation Street.
Elizabeth appeared on Corrie as Fiona Middleton's mother Pam between 1996 and 1998. And it wasn't too long ago that the character got a mention on the Salford-based soap in scenes where Emma Brooker learned Steve McDonald was her real dad.
But her first role actually came in 1975, While appearing in a production of John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert, she was noticed by actress Nerys Hughes, who was looking for a replacement for Polly James in her sitcom, The Liver Birds and so Elizabeth was cast as Carol Boswell which marked her debut television role.
She also made appearances in films and series including T-Bag and Far from the Madding Crowd before joining Corrie and then Emmerdale a year later.
Away from the screen, Elizabeth's life is, fortunately, a lot less turbulent than the character she became so renowned for playing in Emmerdale. She is married to Phillip Allen and has been since May 1983. The couple also have one son together, James Otto Allen.
And many Emmerdale fans will be unaware that Elizabeth's hair when she plays Diane is not actually real as she dons a blonde wig to get into character. But Elizabeth showed off her real locks during a TV appearance in 2016. During an interview on This Morning in, she showed off her natural, luscious grey locks.
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