Emmerdale legend axed after 13 years as she admits she's been 'grieving'

Emmerdale's Daisy Campbell is waving goodbye to the Dales after an epic 13-year stint as telly chiefs shockingly pull the plug on her character, leaving Daisy feeling like she's in mourning.

The actress was a mere tot of eight when she made her debut as Amelia Spencer, but now at the age of 21, Daisy has said that she's been privately battling ever since the bosses lured her into a hush-hush meeting and spelled out that her last appearances would grace the screen just in time for the festive season.

Having a heart-to-heart with the Mirror to spill the beany, Daisy divulged: "It wasn't my choice to leave Emmerdale and it was a shock at first. Being in Emmerdale is all I have ever known. I've spent the whole of my childhood growing up in the soap and it felt daunting."

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Her alter ego Amelia is currently loved-up with baddie Tom King - completely naive to his nasty exploits on Belle Dingle - and to top it off, she's parenting little Esther, age two, after her bombshell baby news with Samson Dingle last year. Yet, following the departure of Amelia's on-screen folks from the show, bosses informed Daisy they were fresh out of plots for her.

"Once they explained, I totally got it," Daisy recounted. "Amelia isn't part of the Dingles, her dad has left, Samson has gone now and she doesn't have any family. There is nowhere to take Amelia and I understand that. I feel incredibly lucky to have been in the soap for 13 years and to have been handed so many opportunities at such a young age."

Daisy was informed about her exit in May, but she only felt ready to share the news now as she needed time to "grieve". For two months, only her three closest friends and co-stars, Rosie Bentham, Katie Hill, and Jack Downham, were aware of her departure.

"They were upset for me but so supportive. I didn't tell the rest of the cast my news initially as I wanted the time to process everything. I needed time to grieve the part of Amelia," Daisy explained. It wasn't until July that she began sharing the news with others.

She said: "I had worried so much about how I was going to tell people I was going and now I know I shouldn't have! They were all brilliant."

Now, five months later, Daisy admits she's glad Emmerdale made the decision for her to leave rather than her pondering whether she should quit or not. "Obviously it was a shock at first but now I have had time to digest it all, I am really excited," Daisy added.

"Emmerdale has actually done me a favour because I would never have left if they hadn't decided there was no longer anywhere to take Amelia."

"I am glad it was their choice and not mine. I see it as a big positive now because it is such a great chance to push myself, start a new chapter away from Emmerdale and take on hopefully some new parts. I am really excited about what lies ahead."

The star's exit from the soap is shrouded in mystery, Daisy is pleased the door has been left open.

Further intrigue comes as the actress hinted that her departure is entwined with her on-screen alter ego's troubled relationship with villainous Tom.

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