Charlie Hardwick couldn't watch her dramatic exit from 'Emmerdale' for "ages."

Charlie Hardwick

Charlie Hardwick

The 56-year-old actress starred as Val Pollard on the soap for 11 years before she was dramatically killed by a falling mirror in 2015 and she has revealed she couldn't bring herself to replay the episode for a while afterwards because it was too "emotional".

Speaking on 'Good Morning Britain', the soap legend said: "That's very emotional watching it actually - I couldn't watch it for ages. Neither could my mam.

"We had to wait a while and watch it. I wanted to go though, it was my decision."

Her on-screen character died saving her sister Dianne and called the emergency services to treat her sibling to ensure she survived.

The actress also revealed that the dramatic death took many times to perfect it after set creators built a mock guillotine.

She said: "They had to mock up this guillotine. They mocked it up, I had to lie in it, but it took so long the first night they had to call time.

"We tried twice but they had to schedule for the next day in a completely different location.

"They rebuilt the set, and put me under, but it wouldn't work again so after three times I jumped up and said 'it's a reprieve! I'm not going to die!'"

Recently Charlie's on-screen step-son Matthew Wolfenden, who plays David Metcalfe, hinted Val could return as her body was never found.

Speaking to Inside Soap magazine last year, Matthew said: "Charlie was brilliant. I think the whole show misses her, as 'Emmerdale' needs a character like Val.

"But have they really killed her off? Chris Chittell (Eric Pollard) says we never saw Val's body - just a body being carried away.

"And Val was planning on faking her own death! We'll see. But I learned so much from Charlie, she's incredible. We share a love of art."


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