ITV/Comp Emmerdale Insider Share By Carena Crawford Jan 5 2026 By Carena Crawford Jan 5 2026 Who's leaving Emmerdale in 2026? A complete guide to departures, returns and new arrivals in the Dales Emmerdale stars leaving in 2026 Aidan Moore Joe Absolom John Sugden Robert Sugden Share By Carena Crawford Jan 5 2026 By Carena Crawford Jan 5 2026 Last year was quite the year of comings and goings for the locals of Emmerdale and now we’re in 2026 we can expect some big exits very early on this January – so who else is leaving this year? There were huge changes to the Emmerdale cast in 2025 with four deaths and plenty of other exits, plus some exciting returns (yes, we’re looking at you, Robert Sugden!) And already this January we have four confirmed exits. Here is the lowdown on who’s coming and going in 2026. Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2026? Celia will go(Credit: ITV/ Comp EI) Celia Daniels Jaye Griffiths, who plays Celia, revealed her time on the show is coming to an end last year. When Celia first arrived in the village she immediately made her mark. She offended Moira and couldn’t care less when her dog attacked Paddy. article continues below Read all the latest spoilers But no one predicted the depths of her evil, with one shocking moment coming when she slapped April and revealed herself as the boss of the county-lines drugs ring. Together with her son Ray, they run a tough operation – manipulating teens like April and Dylan into delivering drugs and encouraging April to sleep with clients. It was then revealed that they were keeping people – including Paddy’s dad Bear Wolf – as slaves. Speaking about her character’s exit, Jaye confirmed that she knew it was coming. She said: “I knew it was finite, which I am very sad about, because I would like to stay forever, but it’s such a strong arc.” She described working at Emmerdale as ‘heaven,’ adding: “It’s one of the nicest places I’ve ever worked, and I’ve done a little bit of work before! It is gentle and kind and professional and funny, and people care that it’s good. People care that we tell the story properly. It’s a joy to come to work.” Jaye hopes her character has left a mark in terms of raising awareness to modern day slavery. “It’s not happening somewhere far, far away, it’s happening next door,” she said. “It’s horrendous. Hopefully, maybe conversations will start to be heard. Maybe a question will run through people’s minds.” She was killed off on New Year’s Day after her son, Ray Walters, could take no more. He stabbed her and told her he felt ‘free’ as she declared she was ‘proud’ of him with her dying breathe. Ray has made his mark in the Dales (Credit: ITV) Ray Walters Alongside mum Celia, Joe Absolom has also left as Ray. His role in the county lines drug plot as well as people trafficking in the modern slavery storyline meant there was very little room for redemption. Even his fledgling romance with Laurel, which in another life would have been very sweet, wasn’t be enough to save him. Appearing on Lorraine last year actor Joe talked about being an “unemployed actor” which many have taken as a hint he’s filmed his final Emmerdale scenes. That would be perfect timing for a big New Year reveal and a huge Corriedale episode. And now Ray has been killed. But no one knows who did it and several villagers look guilty. So who got rid of him for good? Who else is leaving Emmerdale in 2026? John is dead (Credit: ITV) John Sugden Killer John Sugden left the Dales in the back of one of Caleb’s vans after he blackmailed him to help him escape abroad. However, we knew Emmerdale did not air something as big as John’s exit on a random Wednesday night. And he returned this Christmas with one thing in his sights: getting Aaron back to him. Which meant getting rid of Robert. John had kidnapped Kev in order to frame him for Robert’s death. But then his homemade bomd didn’t detonate and Kev managed to get away, so John had to resort to plan b. He held Robert and Aaron hostage, but Aaron managed to get him into the car and held him at gunpoint to drive to the police station. However, then they were involved in the Corriedale crash and John managed to escape. The last scene however showed John very clearly dead in the woods – with sister Victoria standing over him! What does this mean? Has she killed him? Is this going to be her exit storyline…? Victoria will be going soon (Credit: ITV) Victoria Sugden In the coming months we will be saying goodbye to the iconic Victoria Sugden. But in happier news, it’s because actress Isabel Hodgins is expecting her first baby! Isabel recently got married and so the whole thing is absolutely adorable. And she joins the many Emmerdale stars having babies recently. It just means we will lose Victoria soon. 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!” And now she has killed her half-brother John, is this what will force her to leave? Could she go on the run to avoid jail time – and maybe meet up with her ex husband Adam Barton in France and live happily ever after? Kev has also left Emmerdale(Credit: ITV) Kev Townsend After being held hostage by John, Kev got away and returned to the village to tip Aaron off about John and then went to see Lewis. Nicola intercepted him and told him to leave. She gave Kev an ultimatum: tell Lewis the truth about being his dad and then stick around and actually be a dad to him. Or leave for good. Kev was seen walking away, and Chris Coghill who plays Kev has now confirmed that was the last we are set to see of him. He wrote on his Instagram: “Right. In a bit Emmerdale. Been an absolute joy. Thanks for all the love for Kev.” Fans are gutted to see him go and there is hope for a return. But that’s it for now. Who left Emmerdale last year? There have been several other departures this year. The following have left the Emmerdale in 2025: Wendy Posner Ella Forster Leyla Harding Amy Barton Suzy Merton Anthony Fox Brenda Walker Aidan Moore Gail Loman Who’s returning to Emmerdale in 2026? Graham Foster is back! (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Graham Foster! In the historic one-night-only crossover between Emmerdale and Coronation Street, there was a mystery man with an unknown woman tied up in his van. During the crash, his van got caught up in the aftermath. But it wasn’t until Joe Tate arrived at the scene when the man got out of his vehicle. And then he was seen at the hospital watching Joe’s room. And that’s when we finally got to see his face. The one and only, Graham Foster, played by Andrew Scarborough. What does this mean? Is Graham coming back to Emmerdale? When? How? What?! Mandy will leave – but she’ll be back! (Credit: ITV) Mandy Dingle There will be a Mandy Dingle shaped hole in the Dales soon as Lisa Riley has departed. However, it is only for a short time as she is taking on the challenge of I’m a Celebrity. Lisa filmed her final scenes before jetting off to the jungle, where she fast becoming a favourite. According to The Sun, there won’t be much fanfare around her exit it will be “lowkey and very brief”. A source told them: “Lisa filmed her scenes last week, Mandy goes to visit friends and will be back before you know it. “She’ll be back filming full throttle once she’s back from her trip down under too. Fans won’t have long to wait for her return once the scenes air next year.” In fact, Mandy went to Ireland to help with wayward Tina Dingle‘s kids after her cousin was arrested. Steph was shocked to discover Ross had a fling with Manpreet (Credit: ITV) Steph Miligan Actress Georiga Jay recently left the soap. But Steph’s exit isn’t be permanent – she is is pregnant with her first child. So Georgia has headed off on maternity leave – but she will be back soon! Steph and Ross had just restarted their romance when she discovered he lied to her about not being with anybody else since they split. Not being able to cope with everything, and no longer trusting the man she loves, Steph decided to leave the village. Georgia announced her pregnancy in June in a social media video with co-stars Beth Cordingly (Ruby) and Bradley Riches (Lewis). A source told The Sun: “Everyone’s thrilled for Georgia and can’t wait to see her back when she’s ready. “Steph’s exit will happen in the next few weeks and see her flee abroad in typically dramatic fashion. “But with Anthony’s body still out there, there’s a huge storyline still to be wrapped up for when she returns.” 2024 was a difficult year for Cathy (Credit: ITV) 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. Who’s joining Emmerdale in 2026? Following the arrivals of Celia, Ray and Kev, Emmerdale has not announced any other new characters at present. Read more: Complete Emmerdale cast list for 2026 *This article is updated regularly to reflect the ongoing changes within the Emmerdale cast. 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