Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale star Angela Lonsdale won’t stick around in the Dales amid Charity Dingle’s horrifying sexual assault storyline at the hands of Dr Caitlin Todd.
Lonsdale, who joined the soap as DS Reid following Charity being raped by her blackmailer, has now confirmed she would be leaving the ITV series.
ITV
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Taking to Instagram, the actor has shared a montage of some behind-the-scenes moments on the soap, writing in the caption: “What an honour and a privilege to play DS REID and be trusted with such a sensitive storyline.”
The star also included a shout out to her colleagues, Charity star Emma Atkins, Vanessa Woodfield star Michelle Hardwick, Mack Boyd actor Lawrence Robb and Caroline Harker, who plays villain Dr Todd. Lonsdale said that working alongside her “phenomenally talented” co-stars was “one of the highlights of [her] career”.
After thanking cast and crew for making her feel “part of the family from day one”, Lonsdale confirmed her final episodes as DS Reid would air this week.
Earlier this year, Dr Todd targeted Charity after discovering a huge secret regarding baby Leyla’s true parentage. Charity had agreed to be a surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah Sugden and her husband Jacob, but kept quiet about having had an affair with Ross Barton.
ITV
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Dr Todd discovered that Charity and Ross were Leyla’s biological parents and blackmailed Charity in a progressively nastier attack, culminating in a sexual assault.
As a flash-forward scene revealed that Dr Todd is dead, a new murder mystery will keep things interesting for fans of the soap this summer.
Multiple people have their own reasons for wanting rid of Dr Todd for good as the predator and bully made several enemies since her arrival to the village. From Charity herself to her husband Mack and her ex Vanessa, and more, we’ve shared our as to which character would go to murderous lengths to avenge Charity.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Rape Crisis offers a range of support for women and girls who have experienced sexual abuse of any kind. Its free helpline can be contacted on 0808 802 9999 and the charity has websites available for readers in England & Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
