Emmerdale star Jane Cox has said she will “shed more than a few tears” when filming her final scenes as Lisa Dingle, who has been diagnosed with a terminal heart condition.
In Friday’s special International Women’s Day episode of the soap, which had an all-female cast and was created by a female-led crew, the long-running character revealed her devastating diagnosis to niece Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins).
Viewers watched as Charity secretly visited Lisa in Scotland, and was asked by her aunt to prepare her eulogy.
Lisa told Charity that the news was to be kept between them in a bid to keep her daughter Belle (Eden Taylor Draper) in the dark over her health in the coming weeks.
Cox and on-screen husband Steve Halliwell, who plays Zak Dingle, will return to Emmerdale to begin integrating their characters back into the Dingle community before filming the final chapters of Lisa’s life.
Cox, who has played Lisa in the soap since 1996 but left on a temporary basis last year, said she will miss the character when she is gone.
The actress said: “Lisa is so close to my heart as she’s been such a huge part of my life for the past more than 23 years.
“So I know I will shed more than a few tears when it comes to filming her final scenes.
“But I’m really looking forward to my return to the show to tell this story and to give the character of Lisa a deserving farewell.
“I will miss her.”
Emmerdale continues on ITV.