Emmerdale star Rosie Bentham has confirmed her exit as she takes a break from the her soap, with her character Gabby Thomas fleeing the village to get over her heartbreak.
Gabby was left devastated after her fiancé Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope) dumped her on their wedding day after he confessed that he was gay and that their sham engagement was all part of an evil plan to steal Home Farm.
On top of this, she's been forced to deal with Nicky's romance with newcomer Suni Sharma (Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana) since the couple went public about their relationship.
The young mum is still struggling to cope from the humiliation and even tried to kiss Dawn's (Olivia Bromley) husband, Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) in a moment of heartache.
In tonight's episode (Tuesday, August 8), Gabby decides to go to Portugal to get away from the village and recover from her grief.
During the episode, Gabby continues to feel awkward after catching Dawn and Billy in a loved-up moment at Home Farm.
Struggling to fight her attraction to married man Billy, Gabby reveals that she is leaving for Portugal the following morning with her son Thomas.
Talking to Inside Soap magazine, actress Rosie Bentham revealed that a heartbroken Gabby "needs to reset" and goes for a break in Portugal where her grandmother, Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen) lives.
She said: "She's seeking validation from any man and it reaches the point where she decides to leave for a break in Portugal; she needs to reset. I feel really sorry for [her] — heartbreak can be long and tedious but she knows that she needs to get it all out. The tears need to come."
Rosie also shared her hopes for Gabby to return with "a different head" after her trip to Portugal.
"Hopefully she'll come back with a different head on with regards to the Nicky situation, but he needs to get through this mad phase, as this is definitely Gabby's wild era," she revealed.
She also teased the drama in store for Gabby over the coming months: "Obviously, there's the anniversary of Liv Dingle's death on the horizon, and that's difficult for Gabby, as Liv was her best mate. Gabby has a lot on her plate and the next few months are chaotic."
It is not known how long Gabby will be away for.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30 pm on ITV1, with a hour-long episode on Thursdays — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITVX.
