Who's leaving Emmerdale in 2026? A complete guide to departures, returns and new arrivals in the Dales
Emmerdale stars leaving in 2026The comings and goings of the locals in Emmerdale always keep us on our toes and after several surprise exit reveals lately, the soap seems to be on a casting spree so who is coming and who is leaving Emmerdale?
Two rumoured newcomers have been reported recently, so who is coming to the Dales next?
Meanwhile, after the news Patsy Kensit is returning to the soap as Sadie King, followed by the claimed exit of her ex-husband, Jimmy King, now reports are suggesting Vinny Dingle is the next to leave the soap.
Here is the lowdown on who’s coming and going in 2026.
Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2026?
Vinny Dingle
It was reported by The Sun over the weekend that Vinny Dingle is the next person to leave the soap. The move is said to have left Lisa Riley, who plays his on-screen mum Mandy Dingle, “devastated”.
A source told the publication: “Bradley is a very popular member of the cast and especially close with his on-screen Dingle family.
“Everyone is shocked that bosses decided to axe him but it’s all part of the ITV cuts and they still need to trim back the cast.
“They are making less episodes so don’t need as many characters.”
They added: “Lisa is devastated.
“She adores Bradley and they have such a close bond. It just shows that no-one is safe.”
Emmerdale has made no comment.
Vinny was involved in a huge storyline last year where he married Gabby Thomas, but was questioning his own sexuality at the time. He ended up being beaten and extorted by a man he met on an online forum.
Gabby eventually found out when Vinny stood up in court. Despite trying to make their marriage work, the couple separated. He is now loved-up with Lewis Barton. But by the sounds of things that romance is not going to last.
Jimmy King
The Sun has reported that Jimmy King is to be killed off after 22 years on the soap. Jimmy, played by Nick Miles since 2004, is set to exit later this year.
Although no official confirmation has appeared from Emmerdale, the story reports that his exit will tie in with ex-wife Sadie’s return to the village.
A source told the publication: “Everyone is shocked and it shows that no one is safe from the budget cuts.
“Bosses are under pressure to cut costs and sadly that means popular cast members being told their time is up.”
They added: “Once the decision was made that Nick would be leaving, the writers quickly realised his character wouldn’t abandon his wife and children so they had to kill him off.
“That’s what made them approach Patsy about returning.”
Jimmy is the last remaining of the four King brothers after Matthew, Carl and Max were also all killed off. Their dad Tom King also met his maker in a huge whodunnit.
Dawn Fletcher
It has been reported that Emmerdale has ‘axed’ Olivia Bromley as Dawn Fletcher after eight years in the soap. And it’s fair to say fans are not happy at all.
She is said to be filming her exit scenes in the coming months and “understood” the soap’s decision.
A source told The Sun: “Olivia is adored by everyone at Emmerdale so the decision to axe her has not gone down well at all.
“She’s a popular member of the cast and if they can get rid of Olivia then the feeling is virtually no-one is safe.
“Olivia understood their decision and is preparing to film her exit in the coming months.”
The news of Olivia’s exit is said to have gone down badly with other members of the cast. Olivia’s set to film her leaving scenes later this year, however the exact date of her departure is unknown, but is likely to be around the summer time.
No details of Dawn’s end storyline have been given, but last week it looked like she was about to leave – and then she forgave Joe and agreed to work on their relationship. So what will finally see her leave the Dales?
Dr Todd
A character like this can’t stick around forever. Dr Todd is going to be killed off, but we don’t know when.
She has made Jacob’s life a living hell by bullying him at work, she blackmailed Charity and then sexually assaulted her. A flash forward scene recently saw her lying dead in a pool of blood, but we are yet to find out who and when this murder takes place.
Fears over who else is leaving Emmerdale
Cain Dingle
Show legend Cain was recently given a cancer diagnosis. He has had an operation to remove his prostate, but we now know the cancer has spread. Cain is reluctant to receive life-saving radiotherapy for fear it will leave him with permanent side-effects.
So nothing is certain and there are fears he is exiting the show for good.
Cain’s future on the soap has not yet been made clear. We do not know whether he will survive this diagnosis.
Actor Jeff Hordley teased to The Mirror: “I think he’s faced with his own mortality here and he knows this is something that could finish him off. He’s lost his mother to cancer so he’s all too aware of what can happen…”
Although that doesn’t give us many clues, it does suggest there’s a chance he could die. But Cain is a fighter and we wouldn’t write him off just yet. But now he’s had the operation and faces the side-effects, there’s a sense this could all be okay and he won’t die.
Who has left Emmerdale in 2o26?
Already this year some big exits have aired:
- Celia Daniels
- Ray Walters
- John Sugden
Who left Emmerdale in 2025?
There were plenty of departures last year. The following left the Emmerdale in 2025:
- Wendy Posner
- Ella Forster
- Leyla Harding
- Amy Barton
- Suzy Merton
- Anthony Fox
- Brenda Walker
- Aidan Moore
- Gail Loman
- Kev Townsend
Who’s returning to Emmerdale in 2026?
Sadie King
Emmerdale confirmed last week the rumours are true: Patsy Kensit is making a comeback to the Yorkshire Dales.
Jimmy King’s ex-wife first arrived in 2004 and departed in 2006. And boy did she cause trouble while she was there.
Of her return, show producer Laura Shaw said: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Patsy Kensit back to the cast and crucially to see the iconic Sadie King storm back into the village.
“Her return will be explosive and guaranteed to shock. Sadie’s seductive demeanor, combined with her utterly ruthless nature, are set to deliver a spectacular and highly dramatic touch of class to the Yorkshire Dales.”
Patsy is equally as thrilled about her comeback. She said: “I am really excited to return to Emmerdale. I treasure the years I was here before.
“Sadie King is a character that I really loved playing. The cast and crew are absolutely brilliant and I am so grateful for the chance to return to the show, it’s absolutely amazing.”
Victoria Sugden
We have recently said goodbye to the iconic Victoria Sugden. But in happier news, it’s because actress Isabel Hodgins has had her first baby!
Isabel recently got married and she joins the many Emmerdale stars having babies recently.
Isabel revealed to The Mirror: “I will miss it. I love the people there, but I’ve worked there for 19 years, so I feel like I’ve done what I’ve wanted to do and been selfish with my career.
“Now, it’s time to devote my life to being a mum, that feels right to me. But there’s still FaceTime, so they won’t forget me!”
Victoria left after the guilt of framing Moira Dingle in order to keep her own secret that she killed John Sugden got too much for her. She has gone to stay with Diane in Portugal.
Isabel gave birth in February to little girl Georgie Gracie Whitehead.
Cathy Hope
Actress Gabrielle Dowling, who plays Cathy Hope, has stepped away from Emmerdale for a break. A source revealed to The Sun that the actress was taking time off to focus on her exams.
“Gabrielle has been working solidly on the show for her entire life but with her A levels coming up thought it was best to take a break to focus on them,” they said.
“She will be gone for a matter of months and will return later in the year once exam season is over.
“Her exit storyline is being kept quiet until it plays out on screen but it’s only going to be a temporary one.”
The exit then saw Cathy head off on a round-the-world cruise with stepmum Brenda Walker. But although Brenda is staying away for good, Cathy will return.
Tracy Robinson
Amy Walsh has given birth to her second baby with ex-EastEnders star husband Toby-Alexander Smith. The couple already share daughter, Bonnie, three.
It has meant she’s left Emmerdale for the time being. Tracy decided to depart to stay with Cara – the late Nate Robinson’s mum. She has a house and job ready for her there and Tracy needs a fresh start.
Nothing has been said about when Amy will return to Emmerdale, but it’s likely she’ll take a year off as she did with her first child.
Who’s joining Emmerdale in 2026?
Steve
Waterloo Road actor Jason Done is reportedly joining Emmerdale as Steve. A source told The Sun: “This is a huge coup for Emmerdale.
“They’ve had massive success with other soap’s stars joining the cast and the hope is that Jason will be another hit.
“Jason’s character is a new villain with a surprising connection to the village.”
ITV has confirmed Jason’s arrival as Steve and said it will only be for a brief stint, but will have a big impact. Intriguing.
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Nicole Evans
The Sun also reports that Hollywood actress Nicole Evans is joining the cast of Emmerdale. Although her character name is being kept under wraps, a TV insider told the publication it’s an “exciting” casting.
“This is really exciting for Nicole. She’s playing a really intriguing character with a huge secret that will ruffle feathers in the village.”
Nicola has previously appeared in Marvel film Captain America: The First Avenger and The Sandman, as well as ITV’s The Bay.
Emmerdale fans struggle with new casting news
Despite the excitement over newcomers to the Dales, plenty of fans aren’t impressed. They have expressed disappointment that popular characters like Jimmy, Vinny and Dawn are being axed due to budget cuts, yet newbies are being brought in.
“A massive cast, storylines diluted yet actors like Olivia [Bromley] and Nick [Miles] are given the boot. More actors are coming in – what a kick in the bum. Boycott,” demanded one viewer on social media.
Another questioned: “I thought Emmerdale was struggling with cash due to having actors being axed. Yet they’re bringing in new actors?”
“That’s it then Emmerdale your writers need to give their head a wobble. How can you get rid of Jimmy, Dawn and Vinny for budget cuts then bring in others? It’s been done to death and for what gain? Write storylines for your established characters,” shared a third.
A fourth agreed: “Let’s get rid of decent characters like Jimmy and Dawn cos of cost cutting and then bring in new people, doesn’t make sense.”
Read more: Complete Emmerdale cast list for 2026
*This article is updated regularly to reflect the ongoing changes within the Emmerdale cast.
