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Lydia Dingle arrived in The Dales back in 2016 (Image: ITV)
Karen Blick, the Emmerdale star known for her role as Lydia Dingle, has been a fixture on the ITV soap since 2016.
Over the past nine years, Lydia's character has evolved from a newcomer to a beloved figure in the Dales, marrying Sam Dingle (James Hooton) and becoming a fan favourite. The popular cleaner has been at the heart of numerous dramatic storylines, including a recent harrowing rape incident.
Lydia's romantic journey has seen her have brief relationships with Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and Rishi Sharma (Bhasker Patel), before finding stability with Sam and becoming a cherished member of the Dingle family. She also plays a dedicated stepmother to Samson (Sam Hall), who is currently serving time in prison.
Before landing the role of Lydia in Emmerdale, Karen had roles in shows such as No Angels and Nomads. Interestingly, she made a one-off appearance in Emmerdale back in 2006, playing an entirely different character, according to the Mirror.
In this episode, Karen played an unnamed nurse at the abortion clinic visited by Viv Hope (Deena Payne), sporting blonde hair instead of her now-iconic red locks and fringe. A decade later, she returned to the Dales as Lydia, bringing with her a whirlwind of drama, reports Leeds Live.
Emmerdale star Karen Blick as Lydia Dingle (Image: ITV)
However, Karen's off-screen life is quite different from that of her character. While Lydia Dingle's love life has been filled with ups and downs, and sadly, death, Karen has enjoyed a stable relationship since the 1990s.
She met her now-husband, businessman Simon Blick, at a children's outdoor pursuit centre back in 1996. The couple have been inseparable since then, but only decided to tie the knot in 2011.
In an interview with the Mirror in 2019, Karen confessed that she saw herself as a 'jobbing actress' before landing a regular role on Emmerdale. "I had landed some decent roles, but it was hard," she admitted.
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Karen had a back-up plan if acting didn't work out (Image: Hoda Davaine/Dave Benett/Getty Images))
This struggle led Karen to consider a back-up career and she eventually trained for a PGCE, becoming a teacher in 2008.
"When Emmerdale came along, I was lecturing undergraduate acting students at my old college in Halifax," she revealed.
Despite having a stable job in acting, teaching is where her heart truly lies. "It was an absolute dream come 'true'", she said of securing the role of Lydia.
In October, Karen celebrated her milestone 50th birthday surrounded by her loved ones and Emmerdale co-stars.
Lisa Riley, who portrays Mandy Dingle in the popular soap opera, shared a photo on Instagram showing Karen Blick surrounded by Emmerdale stars at a restaurant.
The picture featured Karen with her arms around co-stars Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle) and Emma Atkins (Charity Dingle). Lisa captioned the image: ''What a beautiful night celebrating the gorgeous @karenblick1 Pre-50th-50th Birthday.... all our love."
Lydia Dingle has been accused of blackmailing Will by eagle-eyed fans (Image: (Image: ITV))
In another post, Lisa shared a solo shot of Karen holding a glass of wine, with '50' inflatable birthday balloons in the background.
Fans were quick to compliment the Lydia Dingle actress on her looks in the comments section. One fan expressed disbelief at her age, saying: ''I Can't believe you're 50; you don't look anywhere near 50.''
Another wished her a happy birthday, saying: ''Wow. Happy 50th birthday, Karen. Enjoy your very special day.''
"50 - never! Happy birthday'", added one fan as another stated: "'No way is she 50, but Happy Birthday Karen Blick."
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX
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