Emmerdale - why the show has killed off Dawn Fletcher after eight years

Emmerdale aired another shocking exit tonight, as Dawn Fletcher died after going into premature labour on Friday (28 August). Though both mother and baby seemed healthy given the circumstances, things soon took a heartbreaking turn.

In tonight's episode of the ITV soap, Dawn and Joe Tate watched over their new son, who had been placed in intensive care after being born early. Following their traumatic wedding day, the pair happily planned their future as a family.

Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 – including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV

"It's so weird, isn't it? That a day that started so wrong and was so horrible, could end up feeling like this?" Dawn reflected, though tragedy soon struck after they unofficially exchanged wedding vows.

Joe left the hospital room to get Dawn some water, but when the latter rolled over, viewers saw drops of blood on the sheets. Outside, Joe had a dizzy spell and collapsed on the floor, though he soon regained consciousness.

When he returned to the room, Dawn was laying unresponsive, and he frantically called for help. The doctors rushed in to revive her, with Joe watching on in horror. But they later informed him that Dawn had suffered a "significant haemorrhage", and had sadly died.

News of Dawn's exit first broke at the end of March, with her final storyline being shrouded in mystery. Digital Spy understands that Olivia Bromley, who played the character, was ready to move on and pursue different projects after eight years in the role.

Related: Emmerdale reveals major update on Jimmy King's mysterious crash

While it wasn't Bromley's decision to close the door on the character for good, show bosses felt that killing Dawn was the best option for future storylines, with the fallout set to continue almost immediately.

The shock development sets up months of new drama in the village, including reigniting the feud between Joe and Caleb Miligan, the latter of whom was encouraging Dawn to leave the Dales with her former flame Billy.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage

Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.

The new edition of Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Ariana Grande, is here! Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online.