Emmerdale reveals character's permanent exit from soap 18 months since last appearance in early ITVX release

Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling) won't be returning to Emmerdale village, her father Bob (Tony Audenshaw) has confirmed.

Her exit aired in April 2025, with it being reported that Dowling was taking a short break to accommodate her exams. The actress, alongside brother Sebastian, had played Bob's twins Cathy and Heath, respectively, since they were newborn babies.

Prior to her departure, Cathy was at the centre of several big storylines - from bullying niece April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) to suffering debilitating symptoms of agonising period pain and violent moods.

Cathy had to wait a long time to get an official diagnosis for her situation, but was eventually confirmed to have a condition called PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder).

We then saw the character grieve for Heath, who was killed in a road traffic collision. He was in a car driven by underage Angelica King (Rebecca Bakes), who had stolen nurse Wendy Posner's (Susan Cookson) car.

Eventually, needing a break from the turmoil her family was going through, Cathy decided to join former stepmother Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop) on a holiday of a lifetime. Brenda had won a three month round-the-world cruise in a magazine competition, and the two headed off for pastures new.

Since then, it's been explained that Cathy has settled in Canada.

In today's episode, Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) sobbed to herself while cleaning the Main Street Café. It's been an eventful few weeks for her, having lost husband Jimmy (Nick Miles) in a horrific disaster.

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Jimmy had been driven off a road by Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson), who was carelessly video calling his mate Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham). The car crashed into a wedding marquee, and he eventually succumbed to his injuries before an explosion engulfed the tent.

In the aftermath, his ex-wife Sadie (Patsy Kensit) arrived, claiming that they'd been in a secret relationship for the last three years. Nicola struggled to accept that her husband would lead a double life, though it soon transpired that Jimmy's relationship with Sadie was purely platonic - and that he was helping her financially on the promise that she never contacted him again.

Earlier this week, Vinny was sentenced to 10 years for causing death by dangerous driving.

Just hours after being banged up, news reached his mother Mandy (Lisa Riley) that he'd been attacked. Nicola explained to Bob, who found her in tears, that she couldn't pretend to be sad about the incident.

He understood, having harboured the same resentment for Angelica following Heath's death. Bob also said that his family had been torn apart by the death, in the same way that Nicola's had, because Cathy had told him some weeks ago that she had no intentions of returning from Canada.

Bob has kept this information to himself, not wanting to trouble anyone else.

Will we ever see Cathy again? And will Nicola and Bob continue to lean on one another?

Read more:

• Emmerdale airs major Tate family twist - as Graham Foster returns with Joe's baby
• Emmerdale airs Vinny Dingle exit after 7 years with major sentencing twist in early ITVX release
• Emmerdale star teases "rocky road" for Sarah Sugden - and reveals hopes for Debbie Dingle return
• Emmerdale airs explosive Nicola and Sadie King scenes at Jimmy's funeral in early ITVX release

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.

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