Emmerdale star Olivia Bromley has confirmed it was her choice to leave playing Dawn Fletcher behind, but has admitted that the plan for her character to be killed off was not one she was hoping for.
The actress made her debut in the ITV soap, which is filmed in Leeds, back in 2018, originally signing for just 12 episodes. However, eight years have since flown by, with Dawn at the centre of the long-running programme's biggest storylines over the years.
But as Emmerdale viewers now know, Olivia's time in the Dales has come to a heartbreaking end, after Dawn became the second victim of her own wedding day in emotional scenes.
Dawn's tragic wedding day
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.
Tragically, 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.
Thankfully, Joe survived, but Dawn went into premature labour. She went on to give 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, leaving him for dead.
Olivia's emotional farewell
But as seen during Sunday's (August 30) episode of Emmerdale, their life together was tragically cut 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.
Speaking about filming her exit for the first time, Olivia told Inside Soap, via Digital Spy: "I was excited about the storyline and ready for my own new chapter. But I was surprised about how emotional it was to film, even after I'd known this was coming for a long time! It was the physicality of it as an actor and saying goodbye to this character that I've lived with for eight years. I didn't think it would be a problem, but suddenly I was very emotional about it!"
News of Olivia's exit was first reported in March, but the plan for her to leave was already on the cards, with her admitting she "wanted to go and do other things".
Fans react to Dawn's exit
However, it seems she had hoped to have made it out alive. She added to the publication: "We were in talks about it, but I didn't necessarily know that we were going to go down the death route. That wouldn't have been my choice necessarily, because it means that you can't come back. But I was also excited to go off, do other things and spread my wings a little bit. We had a long time to prep for this and discuss what the story was going to be like. It was exciting when we finally got the scripts and I saw how it was going to play out."
It comes as Emmerdale fans have been quick to share their heartbreak at Dawn's exit. @tashacobbx said: "The most incredible yet utterly heartbreaking week, huge credit to everyone involved! Dawn & Jimmy will be so missed" @xcodi_spencer commented: "No not Dawn. This has broken my heart."
@calamity_cate22 wrote: "Absolutely heartbreaking. Good Luck @oliviabromley_ we will miss you!" @bushraraza7 posted: "Not Dawn !! Honestly… she finally deserved her happy ending." @LoneWolf__77 shared: "Not Dawn. Loved her. Going to miss her so much #Emmerdale." @Emmerdale2dae added: "Olivia Bromley. Such an incredible asset to #Emmerdale for the past eight years. It's been a privilege to watch @OliviaBromley excel in many storylines through the years, the ups and downs. A powerhouse performance to say goodbye Thank you Olivia. Dawn will be sorely missed."
