Long before Emmerdale had Michelle Hardwick’s Vanessa Woodfield, it had Zoe Tate.
Zoe was played by Leah Bracknell for 16 years on the long-running ITV soap and is often remembered as the show’s first ever lesbian character. Fans will remember Zoe first appeared on our screens in 1989 and was the sister of Chris and the only daughter of Frank and Jean. Leah’s first major storyline in the Dales as Zoe was when he revealed she was gay in 1993.
The drama didn’t stop there for Leah as her character featured prominently in other storylines including the deaths of her father Frank (Norman Bowler) and brother Chris (Peter Amory) and the betrayal of her stepmother Kim (Claire King). Perhaps one of Zoe’s more memorable storylines was her affair with her brother’s wife, Charity Dingle - a storyline, which Leah previously said, she was the proudest of portraying, according to Leeds Live.
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She said: “It dealt with a particular area of mental health and we did it over a relatively long period of time - about ten months - so there was a lot of research involved and the story was ongoing and changing. We had to get the nuts and bolts right and also it wasn't just about how it affected her [Zoe] but also the effect on her family."
Zoe swapped the close-knit village in September 2005 for New Zealand as she went in search of a new life. Leaving with a bang, Zoe was left seen tampering with gas taps which ended in an explosion at Home Farm. Zoe’s departure from the show was named Best Exit at The British Soap Awards the following year.
After leaving the show, Leah returned to the stage and starred in shows such as Turn of the Screw, Gaslight, and Strangers on a Train. The award-winning actress also appeared on Casualty 1907, and the daytime soap Doctors. Once she had taken a step back from the limelight, she turned her focus to teaching meditation and yoga and produced a jewellery line.
Tragically, the actress was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in October 2016 and died just three years later. At the time, her agent released a statement on behalf of her family. It read: “They would like to thank all the public for their support and generosity which contributed to the extension and quality of her life over the past three years.
"Leah continued to embrace life and faced her illness with positivity. Many aspects of her journey can be found on her blog. Leah was best known and much loved as Zoe Tate in Emmerdale. She also had roles in Judge John Deed, A Touch of Frost, The Royal Today and DCI Banks to name just a few, as well as numerous appearances on stage and in pantomime. As well as acting, Leah was also an accomplished yoga teacher and shamanic healer. Leah had an energy and enthusiasm for life, a kind heart and much love to give to those around her."
Leah's cancer diagnosis came to light when her husband Jez Hughes launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for her to undergo treatment overseas as a result of the lack of options available on the NHS. The former soap star had been diagnosed in September after rapid weight gain around her abdomen and breathlessness prompted her to seek medical help.
Fans raised more than £50,000 for Leah to undergo groundbreaking treatment in Germany. Leah appeared in public numerous times before her death, discussing living with cancer and talking openly about her the methods she was using to ease her symptoms.
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