Bradley Johnson has confirmed he is leaving Emmerdale after more than seven years playing Vinny Dingle, describing his upcoming court storyline as his 'exit storyline'.
The actor made his debut in the ITV soap in 2019, with Vinny arriving alongside his mum, Mandy Dingle, played by Bury-born actress Lisa Riley. After being abandoned by his father, Paul Ashdale, Vinny was raised by Mandy, Paul's former girlfriend, and became an honorary Dingle.
Distressing storylines and tragic deaths
Since arriving in the Dales, Vinny has endured a number of distressing storylines, including the return of his abusive father, the tragic death of his wife Liv Dingle, who was fatally crushed by a caravan during a horrific windstorm, and more recently, he has found himself responsible for the deaths of fellow villagers Jimmy King and Dawn Fletcher.
At the end of August, heartbreaking scenes saw Dawn become the second victim of her own wedding day horror. Disaster struck on what should have been Dawn and Joe Tate's wedding day, when Jimmy King suddenly crashed into the marquee where the couple were set to say 'I do', sending debris flying and throwing the celebrations into complete chaos.
Jimmy died at the scene, with his wife, Nicola, seen saying a gut-wrenching goodbye after she found the devastating scene while heading to a picnic with her husband. She and Dawn then managed to escape the marquee when an explosion occurred, leaving Joe for dead inside.
Vinny's confession and court hearing
Joe survived, but Dawn went into premature labour. She gave birth to a baby boy, and she and Joe were looking ahead to a new chapter, with Joe seemingly forgiving Dawn for planning to leave him, after her ex-husband, Billy Fletcher, lied about Joe being the one who attacked him. However, their life together was cut tragically short when Joe returned to Dawn's hospital room to find she was unresponsive. Despite the hospital staff's desperate efforts to save her, Joe was told that Dawn had suffered a significant haemorrhage, causing her heart to stop, and that there was nothing more they could do to save her.
Vinny has since confessed to his role in the fatal crash that killed Jimmy and Dawn, with flashback scenes showing that Vinny was distracted by a video call with Gabby Thomas while driving, which led him to drive into the other side of the road, making Jimmy swerve and ending up in the field where the marquee was set up for the wedding. In upcoming scenes, Vinny will discover his fate, as when the truth came to light, he was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but has been released on bail ahead of his court hearing, where he faces a jail term.
Bradley Johnson's emotional farewell
Speaking on This Morning on Wednesday (October 7) ahead of the court scenes, Bradley described it as his 'exit storyline' and when quizzed on whether that was confirmation he will be leaving, he said: "Yeah... Seven and a half years, it's been an incredible journey, I've loved every second of it."
Asked how it feels to be saying goodbye, the soap star said: "Honestly, everyone says it's like a big family, and it really is. I've had the most incredible time, met the most amazing people. So to all the cast, the crew, the producers, the directors, everyone I've been fortunate to work with, it's been incredible."
Bradley added of his decision: "I'm 30 next year and I feel like it's a perfect time in my life to start a new chapter. Even though it's daunting and scary because this industry is hard, I'm excited to get out there and see what's next."
Bradley is also a singer. His rise to fame began in 2017 when he appeared on the BBC talent show Let It Shine, competing for a role in the Take That musical, in which he made the final. Since appearing in Emmerdale, Bradley has continued to show off his impressive vocals by frequently sharing acoustic covers on his Instagram page, while also partaking in Emmerdale's YouTube series, The Woolpack Session.
Asked if music could be part of his new chapter, Bradley added: "Hopefully. I've sort of put it on the back burner a little bit. I've put some stuff on social media and on YouTube, but hopefully. I'll give it a good go."
