The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Emmerdale dated February 11. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX.
Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) has confirmed her plans to leave Emmerdale.
The beloved character has had a stressful start to 2026, as she’s been wracked with guilt following her brother’s death.
During Corriedale, Vic was involved in a confrontation with John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth). She managed to get hold of the syringe that was in his pocket and stabbed him with it, believing he’d fall unconscious.
However, John suffered a bad reaction to the drug and died. Vic was forced to cover up the murder, but had no idea at the time that she was being filmed by Joe Tate (Ned Porteous).
Joe has used this footage to his advantage by telling Vic and Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) that the police will discover the truth about John if they don’t sign their land over to the Tates.
Despite trying to think of another option, Vic gave in yesterday and told Joe that she’d read over the contract before signing and selling. Her decision was influenced by Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) somewhat, who said she’d be able to start her life again elsewhere with the money made from the sale.
Joe faced a new hurdle in today’s episode, as he learnt that Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) also needed to sign the contract before the Sugden land became his.
Said hurdle was a small one in Joe’s eyes though, as he simply told Vic and Robert what they needed to do next and if they didn’t, everyone would know the truth about John’s demise.
Victoria went to see Moira and gently explained that she was selling the land to Joe, and she needed her signature. Moira was heartbroken, but eventually came to understand that Victoria had only made this difficult decision because she was thinking about her family.
With the contract sorted, Victoria was crushed as reality hit that the Tates had won again.
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Robert was optimistic that they could still continue the Sugden legacy even though they’d be working for someone else, but Vic had thrown in the towel. That afternoon, she told Robert that she’s booked flights for her and Harry to Portugal, and intends to stay with Diane Sugden for a while.
A devastated Robert tried to change Vic’s mind, but she announced that she’d be leaving tomorrow.
This exit will happen to facilitate Isabel Hodgins’ maternity leave, ahead of the arrival of her first baby.
Going to Portugal means there’s an opportunity for Victoria to return in the future but if she does, what state will Emmerdale be in as Kim and Joe work hard to build their new empire?