Vanessa Woodfield on Emmerdale: relationship with Charity, Pierce hostage horror, soap exit and return

Village vet Vanessa Woodfield has been an integral member of the Emmerdale cast ever since joining the village as the new locum in town. Over a decade later, Vanessa is part of the furniture – having weathered cancer, hostage terror and multiple failed romances.

This week Vanessa is at the heart of the drama once more as she finds her life at risk as two limousines crash on a deserted woodland road. Will Vanessa survive? And, with girlfriend Suzy already confirmed dead and ex Charity also in danger, how will she be affected by the consequences of the crash?

Here’s everything you need to know about Emmerdale vet(eran) Vanessa.

Who plays Vanessa Woodfield?

Vanessa is played by actor Michelle Hardwick. Prior to joining Emmerdale, Michelle appeared in episodes of Hollyoaks, Heartbeat and Coronation Street in a series of smaller roles.

Outside of the soaps, she briefly appeared on American zombie drama The Walking Dead across two episodes in 2018 and 2019, where she played an unnamed survivor in one of the post-apocalyptic outposts.

When did Vanessa join Emmerdale?

In 2012, she joined the soap as Vanessa. She was hired by Rhona – her old university friend – to work at the vet’s surgery. She and Rhona remained firm friends during her time in the dales, helping Rhona when she learned about her addiction to painkillers.

Upon arriving, she also made friends with Moira Dingle, striking up a strong and abiding friendship with the family. It was in the village that she learned she had a half-sister – Tracy Metcalfe.

How many children does Vanessa have?

In 2015, Vanessa gave birth to her son Johnny. Johnny was the result of the relationship between Vanessa and Kirin Kotecha – Priya’s then-17-year-old stepson-to-be. The pair split up after she had a one-night stand with Adam Barton – and his father edited the result of a DNA test to make it look as though Adam was the baby’s dad.

By 2016, Kirin had learned the truth. He left the village later that year after leaving a woman for dead in a drunken hit-and-run. Kirin returned in 2020, only to face trial for the hit-and-run. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Kidnapped by Pierce

In 2020, Vanessa was held hostage by Rhona’s rapist ex husband, Pierce, who blamed her for ruining his marriage. Keeping her tied up in her own home, Pierce held Vanessa there for weeks.

The police managed to capture Pierce after Rhona injected him with tranquiliser, allowing her to free Vanessa and call the police. He died from cancer while in prison in 2022.

Stabbed by Lachlan’s dad

In 2018, Vanessa was subject to a brutal attack by Lachlan White’s dad, in a campaign of violence against the Dingles. When she attempted to stop Donny as he tried to set fire to the Woolpack, he stabbed her and took her car – unaware Johnny was hiding in the back.

Charity gave chase, rescuing Johnny and beating Donny with a metal pole, before taking up her rightful place at Vanessa’s bedside.

Bowel cancer

At the start of 2020, Vanessa was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer, which had spread to her lymph nodes. She underwent surgery, but was devastated to learn that she’d still need a course of chemotherapy afterwards

She took some time out to recover at her mother’s house. When she returned, she did so with the news that she’d been given the all-clear – however, the positivity wasn’t to last, as she learned that girlfriend Charity had snogged another man while she was away. The pair split, and Vanessa returned to her mum’s for a while.

Relationships with Charity and Suzy – and breaks-up

Together with Charity Dingle, Vanessa made up one half of the soap’s most popular pairings – dubbed ‘Vanity’ by fans. After a tumultuous romance, the pair split up for good after Charity was kissed Mack.

In 2022, she met Suzy Merton. Flirting over a drink (after Vanessa almost run her over!) the pair dated for a while. However, things became tense with them when it was revealed that Suzy had been partly responsible for Holly’s addiction to drugs.

They split later that year, as Vanessa was offered her dream job, and Suzy decided it would be best if she went without her.

Suzy did return to the village and the couple reunited, with it looking for a while like they had found their happy ever after.

But in February 2025, viewers have just witnessed Suzy die in the limo crash on the lake, which has of course left Vanessa devastated.

Read more: Remembering Suzy Merton and Vanessa Woodfield’s relationship as party planner dies in limo crash

Why did Michelle Hardwick leave Emmerdale?

Vanessa left the soap in 2022 as actor Michelle took a break from the soap to go on maternity leave. She and wife Kate Brooks welcomed their daughter in November that year.

In the soap, Vanessa left to pursue a job opportunity in Canada. She returned in February this year to support Rhona, who had gotten herself into trouble with the law after kidnapping baby Ivy. Convincing Rhona to return home, Vanessa decided to move back to the village, where she remains to this day.

Will Charity and Vanessa ever get back together?

Ever since she returned to the soap, fans have been hoping that Vanessa and Charity will reconcile. Although there’s no animosity there, Charity did tell Mack that she had ‘no lingering feelings’ for her ex. That hasn’t stopped the fans from hoping though!

Read more: From Carl King to son Tom, Emmerdale characters that finally got their comeuppance

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.

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