**Warning: This article contains spoilers for tonight’s (12th November) Emmerdale episode.**
Sally Dexter has reprised her Faith Dingle role in Emmerdale – despite the character being killed off following a terminal breast cancer diagnosis over three years ago.
It was something that both viewers and Dexter didn’t see coming, though a special standalone episode exploring recent returnee Robert Sugden’s (Ryan Hawley) time off screen was able to facilitate it.
“They’ve thrown me in prison with Robert,” Dexter explained.
“It’s a flashback episode and it’s delightful to be back doing it. Well first of all I thought, ‘How are they going to get me back?’
“I’m dead! I’ve been dead I think it’s about two years, yeah, so I had no idea what was coming.”
In the instalment that aired tonight on ITV, viewers saw Faith visit Robert in prison, urging him to follow his heart and start an appeal process against his murder charge so that he could reunite with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller).
Of course, as we know, Robert was only successful earlier in the year, and had to tell a major fib to prison hubby Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) about why he was getting early release.
Thinking on his feet, he told Kev that sister Vic (Isabel Hodgin) had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and he needed to get home to support her. At the end of today’s episode, a bemused facial expression from Dr Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) confirmed to Kev that his beloved Suggers had been lying.
But as for Faith, is this the last we’ve seen of her?
“It’s been really enjoyable,” she explains.
“It’s lovely coming back. It’s a bit like… I don’t know, coming back to a school that you went to, like you go back to your old school or an old house that you used to live in. It feels very, very homely.
“They’re just such a lovely bunch of people here, all of them, crew and cast included.
“I have been practising my Australian accent, in case they decide that a cousin suddenly appears called Hope. And I’d put in for a blonde wig if they did.”
She also took time to reflect on her 2023 exit, and Faith’s dying days that struck a chord with fans.
“People really seem to plug into it. And I don’t blame them. It was beautifully written, and I thought Jeff [Hordley] was particularly spectacular… as he always is.
“Damn him! No, he’s wonderful.”
The actress, who has also appeared in Poldark, Holby City and early ’00s soap Night and Day, went on to explain that her Faith role has a very personal connection.
“I’ve always said my mum was very much the person that I based her on, and unfortunately she died last year, so actually, coming back and doing her again is lovely.
“Such a joyous thing to do and I’m very grateful.
“If you haven’t seen tonight’s episode, please go and watch it. It’s very special, and to play Faith again is very, very special to me.”
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