Emmerdale’s Jane Cox has said her character Lisa Dingle’s death from a heart condition is the right end to her story and that she hopes it helps people dealing with terminal illness.
The actress, 67, is bowing out of the ITV soap after playing Lisa for 23 years.
Earlier this year, Lisa revealed she had been diagnosed with a terminal heart condition.
Cox said: “It’s a good story. And it raises awareness of that particular illness, which is good, and that will help people, hopefully, which I think is something absolutely brilliant to be doing.
“And it’s very much part of me wanting to be an actress, to help people.”
She said of her exit storyline: “I think it tells a complete story and there’s lots of people that are dealing with terminal illnesses.
“I know from the episode that we did, when it was revealed that she had this illness, there’s been a lot of people writing and who’ve got this illness who say that this could raise an issue.”
“It tells the story properly,” she said. “I could go to Spain but I think it gives a truthful end to Lisa’s story.”
The actress said she wants to explore other things now that her run on the soap is coming to an end.
“What will be nice will be to have time to think about things and maybe some writing, maybe some painting,” she said.
“Maybe acting in other different things.
“I don’t know, but the world is out there to be explored it seems to me.”
“If I didn’t do it now, literally, I wouldn’t do it,” she said. “So I had to take the plunge.”
Actor Steve Halliwell predicted his character Zak Dingle (Lisa’s husband) will find it hard to cope, but said he hopes the storyline will be important for others struggling with the loss of a loved one.
He said: “Just to explore bereavement is a good thing for the so many people going through it, not necessarily a wife or husband, but somebody, to the millions watching.”
Emmerdale continues on ITV.