Emmerdale star Claire King has spoken of her heartbreak over co-star Olivia Bromley's departure from the ITV soap, following the dramatic death of her character Dawn Fletcher.
The 30-year-old actress played Dawn for eight years, sharing scenes with Claire's Kim Tate, her on-screen stepmother. Fans were left stunned when Dawn was killed off in devastating scenes on her wedding day, after giving birth prematurely to a baby boy with partner Joe Tate. In the emotional footage, she suffered internal bleeding and died after the birth.
Final moments on set
Speaking at a press roundtable, Claire described their final moments together on set as “heartbreaking”. She said: “But we did have a good laugh that week because we were all outside this massive marquee where we were doing all the wedding stuff and car crash, and it’s all supposed to be tragic but we were all actually having a good life.
“We had some really nice people on set that day. Great crew, and it was just a bit of camaraderie. But I could see as the days went on to the final day she was getting more and more sort of angst and things.”
A decade in the Dales
Dawn made a big impact when she arrived in the Dales almost a decade ago, and has been at the centre of huge storylines since then, including finding her long-lost son and her on-off romance with ex-husband Billy.
Olivia was told of her character’s fate earlier this year, with bosses teasing the huge exit plot. Despite the advanced warning, she admitted she found it tough to bid farewell. “It was the toughest storyline I've done during my time in the soap,” she told the Mirror.
“I was surprised by how emotional I found it and it was way more emotional than I was expecting. I did cry. It is very strange to kill off your character as an actor and in front of your colleagues. But that said, what a gift to be given. Often people leave and just slip off.”
Reflecting on her time
She added: “Psychologically, now I have had time to reflect, I know it's good for me, because I can say bye to my Emmerdale chapter. It’s been brilliant. I was originally only signed up for 12 episodes and I’ve stayed eight years!”
