The departures and returns are continuing in Emmerdale as 2026 races by.

It’s been quite the start to the year for the ITV soap. Some characters have departed for new lives elsewhere, while John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) all faced their ends via horrific murders.

Last year, we said farewell to a number of villagers, including Rachael Gill-Davis, who played Gail Loman.

Another departee was Paula Lane’s Ella Forster, who left the Dales in the back of a police car after just fifteen months onscreen.

There was also the much-anticipated return of Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), who came back to the village following a prison stint.

We even saw Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) pop back to the Dales for a brief stint.

More changes are afoot this year, so here’s the lowdown on who is returning, leaving, and arriving in the ITV soap…

Emmerdale cast returns

Kev Townsend

Robert’s psychopathic but oddly-endearing ex-prison husband, Kev Townsend will be returning to the village, with Chris Coghill reprising the role ‘by popular demand’.

Discussing the return, producer of the show Laura Shaw said: ‘Both Chris and the character of Kev made a massive impact on the show last year, so Chris is most definitely back by popular demand’

Kev will have to deal with being in such close proximity to his ex-husband and ex-love rival, Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), while deciding whether or not to tell Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches) that he is his biological father.

When is Kev Townsend returning to Emmerdale? Currently unknown.

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Cathy Hope

Nineteen-year-old Gabrielle Dowling has also left the soap – but she will be back.

Recent storylines have included Cathy Hope coming to terms with a PMDD diagnosis, and also dealing with the horrific death of twin brother Heath, played by Gabrielle’s brother Sebastian, who passed away following a car accident.

Metro understands that the star is just taking a short break and will return down the line.

When is Cathy Hope returning to Emmerdale? Currently unknown.

Victoria Sugden

Victoria Sugden left the Emmerdale village in February to tie in with Isabel Hodgins’ maternity leave.

The actress announced on her Instagram last month that she has given birth to her first baby, called Georgie Grace.

Vic’s exit saw her leave for a new life in Portugal. She told Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) that she would return, though when exactly this will be remains to be seen.

When is Victoria returning? Currently unknown.

Tracy Shankley

Amy Walsh recently left her role as Tracy Shankley, with the exit story will facilitating Amy’s maternity leave.

The star, who is married to Toby-Alexander Smith, recently gave birth to her second child.

Tracy moved out of the village following a difficult year adjusting to life as a single mum, but she will return when her maternity leave comes to an end.

When is Tracy leaving Emmerdale? Currently unknown.

Emmerdale cast departures

Dawn Taylor

It was recently revealed that Olivia Bromley will be departing from her role as Dawn Taylor after 8 years.

Her axing is believed to be a result of ITV’s cost-cutting measures, with both Emmerdale and Coronation Street reducing the amount of screen time some actors have and losing others.

Dawn’s life is set to spectacularly fall apart in upcoming scenes when she reveals the true extent of boyfriend, Joe Tate’s (Ned Porteous) cruelty.

Metro understands that a final explosive story will play out for Dawn in the summer, with Olivia still currently filming.

When is Olivia leaving Emmerdale? Later this year.

This article was first published on October 25, 2024 and has since been updated.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8:00pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.

The departures and returns are continuing in Emmerdale as 2026 gets underway.

It’s been quite the start to the year for the ITV soap. Some characters have departed for new lives elsewhere, while John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) all faced their ends via horrific murders.

Last year, we said farewell to a number of villagers, including Rachael Gill-Davis, who played Gail Loman.

Another departee was Paula Lane’s Ella Forster, who left the Dales in the back of a police car after just fifteen months onscreen.

There was also the much-anticipated return of Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), who came back to the village following a prison stint.

We even saw Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) pop back to the Dales for a brief stint.

More changes are afoot this year, so here’s the lowdown on who is returning, leaving, and arriving in the ITV soap…

EMMERDALE CAST RETURNS

Cathy Hope

Nineteen-year-old Gabrielle Dowling has also left the soap – but she will be back.

Recent storylines have included Cathy Hope coming to terms with a PMDD diagnosis, and also dealing with the horrific death of twin brother Heath, played by Gabrielle’s brother Sebastian, who passed away following a car accident.

Metro understands that the star is just taking a short break and will return down the line.

When is Cathy Hope returning to Emmerdale? Currently unknown.

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Victoria Sugden

Victoria Sugden left the Emmerdale village in February to tie in with Isabel Hodgins’ maternity leave.

The actress announced on her Instagram last month that she has given birth to her first baby, called Georgie Grace.

Vic’s exit saw her leave for a new life in Portugal. She told Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) that she would return, though when exactly this will be remains to be seen.

When is Victoria returning? Currently unknown.

EMMERDALE CAST DEPATURES

Tracy Shankley

Amy Walsh has now filmed her final scenes as Tracy Shankley, which means it won’t be long until another character departs the village.

The exit story will air in order to facilitate Amy’s maternity leave. The star, who is married to Toby-Alexander Smith, is expecting her second child.

Tracy looks set to move out of the village following a difficult year adjusting to life as a single mum. In upcoming episodes, Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) discovers her plan to sell the house.

When is Tracy leaving Emmerdale? In the coming weeks.

This article was first published on October 25, 2024.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8:00pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.

There have been plenty of comings and goings in Emmerdale recently, with several more cast changes ahead. 

Last year, we said farewell to a number of villagers, including Rachael Gill-Davis, who played Gail Loman.

Another departee was Paula Lane’s Ella Forster, who left the Dales in the back of a police car after just fifteen months onscreen.

There was also the much-anticipated return of Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), who came back to the village following a prison stint.

We even saw Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) pop back to the Dales for a brief stint.

As 2026 begins, more changes are afoot… so here’s the lowdown on who is returning, leaving, and arriving in the ITV soap…

EMMERDALE CAST RETURNS

Cathy Hope

Nineteen-year-old Gabrielle Dowling has also left the soap – but she will be back.

Recent storylines have included Cathy Hope coming to terms with a PMDD diagnosis, and also dealing with the horrific death of twin brother Heath, played by Gabrielle’s brother Sebastian, who passed away following a car accident.

Metro understands that the star is just taking a short break and will return down the line.

When is Cathy Hope returning to Emmerdale? Currently unknown.

Mandy Dingle

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Mandy Dingle star Lisa Riley made a temporary exit to facilitate her taking part in the recent series of I’m A Celebrity.

Mandy departed the village in December to help look after Tina Dingle’s children, following the character once again getting into trouble with the law.

When will Mandy return? February.

Victoria Sugden

Victoria Sugden left the Emmerdale village this week to tie in with Isabel Hodgins’ maternity leave.

The actress announced on her Instagram today (February 13) that she has given birth to her first baby, called Georgie Grace.

Vic’s exit saw her leave for a new life in Portugal. She told Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) that she would return, though when exactly this will be remains to be seen.

When is Victoria returning? Currently unknown.

EMMERDALE CAST DEPATURES

Tracy Shankley

Amy Walsh has now filmed her final scenes as Tracy Shankley, which means it won’t be long until another character departs the village.

The exit story will air in order to facilitate Amy’s maternity leave. The star, who is married to Toby-Alexander Smith, is expecting her second child.

When is Tracy leaving Emmerdale? Currently unknown.

Ray Walters

In the episode of Emmerdale that aired before Corriedale, we saw Ray Walters’ (Joe Absolom) dead body being dragged across a field.

We then saw it in the back of a depot van that was being driven by Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson).

Towards the end of January, flashback episodes aired that eventually saw us learn that Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) killed Ray.

The character was on our screens again yesterday, as a figment of Bear’s imagination.

When did Ray leave Emmerdale? At the start of 2026.

This article was first published on October 25, 2024.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8:00pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.

There have been plenty of comings and goings in Emmerdale recently, with several more cast changes ahead. 

Last year, we said farewell to a number of villagers, including Rachael Gill-Davis, who played Gail Loman.

Another departee was Paula Lane’s Ella Forster, who left the Dales in the back of a police car after just fifteen months onscreen.

There was also the much-anticipated return of Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), who came back to the village following a prison stint.

We even saw Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) pop back to the Dales for a brief stint.

As 2026 begins, more changes are afoot… so here’s the lowdown on who is returning, leaving, and arriving in the ITV soap…

EMMERDALE CAST RETURNS

Cathy Hope

Nineteen-year-old Gabrielle Dowling has also left the soap – but she will be back.

Recent storylines have included Cathy Hope coming to terms with a PMDD diagnosis, and also dealing with the horrific death of twin brother Heath, played by Gabrielle’s brother Sebastian, who passed away following a car accident.

Metro understands that the star is just taking a short break and will return down the line.

When is Cathy Hope returning to Emmerdale? Currently unknown.

Mandy Dingle

Don't miss a Soaps scoop! Add us as a Preferred Source

As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soaps news, spoilers, videos, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.

Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Mandy Dingle star Lisa Riley made a temporary exit to facilitate her taking part in the recent series of I’m A Celebrity.

Mandy departed the village in December to help look after Tina Dingle’s children, following the character once again getting into trouble with the law.

When will Mandy return? Currently unknown, but she’s expected to be away for only a few weeks.

Graham Foster

Following Graham Foster’s (Andrew Scarborough) return from the dead in Corriedale, it won’t be long until he heads back to Emmerdale.

Teasing his arrival, producer Laura Shaw said: ‘A familiar face is returning to the village full-time! None other than Graham Foster will make a sensational comeback.

‘His return will have massive repercussions for both Kim Tate (Claire King), with whom he shares a complex love and hate relationship, and Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry), who was about to run away with him.

‘Graham will explain exactly what happened six years ago when he was ‘killed’, but the question will be whether Joe can ever forgive his father-figure for allowing him to believe he was dead’.

When is Graham returning to Emmerdale? He will be back soon.

EMMERDALE CAST DEPATURES

John Sugden

John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) returned to the village over Christmas with the intention of killing Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) so he could be with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller).

As expected, John’s plan didn’t go as he had hoped. Just before Corriedale aired, Aaron forced John to drive to the police station, but the crazed medic decided to turn the tables again and put them both in danger.

John let go of the wheel and told Aaron to take control. It led them to crashing into a car that was being driven by the Swains from Coronation Street. It set the foundations for the Corriedale drama, which saw more lives from both neighbourhoods in jeopardy.

John was killed by his sister Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins). She injected him with a drug, leading to him having a bad reaction to it and dying.

When did John leave Emmerdale? During Corriedale.

Ray Walters

In the episode of Emmerdale that aired before Corriedale, we saw Ray Walters’ (Joe Absolom) dead body being dragged across a field.

We then saw it in the back of a depot van that was being driven by Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson).

As of January 17, we do not know who killed Ray, but that’s because we’re waiting for a series of flashback episodes to air that reveal what happened in the lead up to his murder.

They will air week commencing January 19, and focus on the prime suspects in his murder investigation.

When did Ray leave Emmerdale? At the start of 2026.

Celia Daniels

Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) has proven a truly vile character since rocking up in the village.

The newbie was revealed to be behind a heinous, large-scale criminal operation, trafficking both drugs and humans, and a modern-day human slavery racket.

Celia was never going to be a redeemable character, and ultimately lost her life when son Ray Walters stabbed her.

Ray knew that he could never live the life he wanted to while Celia was alive, and killed his mum before getting rid of her body.

When did Celia leave Emmerdale? She was killed by Ray on New Year’s Day.

This article was first published on October 25, 2024.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.