Olivia Bromley, who played Dawn Fletcher in Emmerdale for eight years, has revealed she didn't want her character to be killed off. The actress said she would have preferred Dawn to stay alive and would have relished the chance to return someday to continue the journey.
Dawn was found dead after a marquee collapsed on her, just as she was looking to the future with Joe Tate and their newborn baby. The character's exit comes eight years after Bromley's debut in the show.
Emotional Exit
Speaking about her reaction to the storyline, Bromley said: 'I'm not going to lie, I'd have preferred her to stay alive!'
She added: 'But I wouldn't have killed her off if it was my choice. I'd have loved to have been able to play her in the future. But this is the thing about being an actor; the producers make decisions, they've got this great story, and when we talked about it, I was like, "Oh my goodness, it's so tragic!" But also, in a way, it's exciting because I knew when we were talking about the story that it means I can't come back – or can I? Who knows? I mean, Graham came back! Maybe I'll come back as Dawn's twin or something.'
Looking Ahead
Despite the emotional ending, Bromley remains positive about the future. She said: 'I was so excited to go out and do other things and spread my wings. As an actor, after eight years, it's important to be able to embrace new challenges, I've felt.'
She added: 'But it also meant that I was like, "Okay, this is a big bang exit, and it means that I can go out and embrace new challenges fully and not have that in the back of my mind."'
Bromley has already been busy since filming her final scenes, which were shot over a double block in sweltering heat. She said: 'I do need a break, and I think when you've been living with a character for so long, you need to be able to shed that character and give yourself a little bit of a breather to be able to start again. But I am back into things now, very busy, which is good.'
She mentioned that there are 'so many little things up in the air' that she can't yet mention, but hinted at a project that will be 'quite fun' once confirmed.
Future Roles
Bromley is open to a range of opportunities, from gritty Northern dramas to fantasy epics like House Of The Dragon, and would even consider another soap. She cited Suranne Jones and Sarah Lancashire as soap stars she looks up to, while her co-star Claire King, who plays Kim Tate, suggested she should do a period drama.
On the possibility of reality TV, Bromley said: 'I've always felt that I'd rather be an actor than a personality, and I'd prefer to keep myself more anonymous than doing reality TV. However, certain reality TV, like Strictly, for example – Lawrence, who plays Mackenzie, is doing Strictly this year – is such a cool experience because you learn a skill at the same time. I actually think never say never on any of those things.'
Reflecting on how she would like Dawn to be remembered, Bromley said: 'I'm just so thankful for the lovely messages and the support that I have got over the years for Dawn. And also, the opportunity to play these stories. But I think, for me, the opportunity to live with this character who came in, who was vulnerable, who was homeless, who was a heroin addict, and she managed to build herself up and get her children back and come out of that and then ended up in the big house, where she made some absolutely catastrophic decisions! But haven't we all? And I'm proud of Dawn's trajectory.'
She added: 'I'm so grateful to the audience for supporting and enjoying her. Even when they've hated her, and they've been so angry, they've been engaged with her. But I've always felt that there's been so much passion. I've been very lucky, and I'm going to miss it so much.'
