Emmerdale’s Daisy Campbell is leaving the Dales after 13 years - as show bosses have called time on her character, in a shock move that left her “grieving”.
Daisy was just eight when she joined the hit soap as Amelia Spencer. But Daisy, now 21, admits she had been secretly struggling since she was called into a covert meeting and told her last scenes would air just before Christmas.
Speaking exclusively with the Mirror to announce the news, Daisy, 21, says: “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.”
Her character Amelia is currently in a relationship with evil Tom King - oblivious to his abuse of Belle Dingle - and is a mum to Esther, now two, after her shock pregnancy with Samson Dingle in 2022. But after Amelia’s onscreen parents left the Dales, bosses told Daisy they had run out of storylines for her.
“Once they explained, I totally got it," says Daisy. "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 given the news in May but has only felt ready to announce her departure now as she admits she needed time to “grieve”. For two months the only people who knew were her three closest friends – co-stars, Rosie Bentham, Katie Hill, and Jack Downham.
“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 continued.
She says it wasn’t until July that she started to tell them. She adds: “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.” Daisy goes on to admit now, five months later, that she is pleased Emmerdale have made the decision for her to leave rather than her wondering 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,” adds Daisy. “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.”
How she leaves is being kept a closely guarded secret, but the Mirror can reveal she won’t be killed off. “I am pleased the door is being left open. But I can’t say too much about how she leaves.”
What she can reveal, teases the actress, is her departure will be directly linked with her character’s current on-screen romance with evil Tom. After brave Belle finally found the courage to walk away from the couple’s marriage in September following months of coercive control and domestic abuse, Tom quickly moved on to an oblivious Amelia. Viewers, of course, have continued to see Tom mentally abuse Belle behind Amelia’s back.
Next Tuesday on Bonfire night, Amelia will start to see a different side to Tom, hints Daisy.
“He gets annoyed with Amelia and it’s a turning point for her,” explains the actress. “Could Amelia be the second Belle in terms of Tom’s nastiness? Everyone will have to wait to see.”
Praising the soap for tackling the issue, Daisy adds: “It is great the soap is raising awareness about how women need to be believed. It’s been nice for me to get my teeth into such an important story.”
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AMY BRAMMALL)Daisy was born in Leeds in 2003 and joined Rebel Acting School as a young child. It wasn’t long before she landed the part in the famous Yorkshire soap. She still lives at home with her parents, Rory and Alison, as well as a younger brother who also acts, and sister who is a national dance champion. They’ve all been supportive after she told them she was having to leave.
“My mum actually had a gut instinct that this might happen anyway,” says Daisy. “But they have been brilliant and told me to enjoy seeing where my career takes me next. I am very lucky as I do live at home, so I don’t have to worry about rent. I am a free bird!”
Going on to reflect on her 13 years spent in the soap, Daisy says she has enjoyed every minute of it and she stresses she definitely does not regret joining at a young age.
“I will be forever grateful for my whole time spent in Emmerdale,” she says. “It’s been amazing to learn from people who have been in the industry for years and I will take all their advice with me. I have made so many friends on set and I am going to miss everyone. But I feel lucky to have grown up on the soap. I have never felt I have missed out at all.”
The advice given by actress Kelli Hollis, who played Amelia’s mum Ali, has stuck with her to this day.
“She told me to always stay grounded and never let my head get big,” confides Daisy. “When I was little, I was always so energetic and I can remember running around the set. She told me to never change. Her advice was so great as I would have hated to have let being in Emmerdale go to my head.”
Picking out Amelia’s kidnapping in 2018 and her shock teenage pregnancy two years ago as two of her favourite storylines, Daisy feels proud to have been trusted with such gritty plots over the years. “Working on both stories has been great,’ she says. “Amelia getting kidnapped was my first big storyline and it really made me realise how much I wanted to work as an actress for the rest of my career. The teenage pregnancy has also been great and it’s been very enjoyable to work with a baby and now a little child (Florence Mae Dyson) who plays Esther.”
Laughing, she then says she isn’t, however, contemplating having a baby herself just yet. Daisy, who confirms she is in a relationship but wants to keep it private, stresses: “It’s nice to work with a child and then go home and be a 21-year-old again!”
Daisy filmed her last scenes which will air in December earlier this month. “I cried in my final block of filming,” she admits. “But we had a leaving party last week and that was a lot of fun. I know I will continue to see all the friends I have made now I have left.”
What would Daisy like to do next? “Oh my gosh there is so much I want to do,” she replies. “Since I finished filming, I have got even more drive and determination. Theatre, TV dramas, film – I am open to anything. I am excited to get out there and see where my next chapter takes me.”
*Emmerdale airs every weekday on ITV1 and STV at 7.30pm
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