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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte Tutton

Emmerdale murder plan, tragic sacrifice and paternity twist: The biggest plots of 2014

Emmerdale has had some action-packed years in the past as storylines go, with 2022 in the running for one of the busiest and most dramatic so far.

But we thought we'd take a look at some of the other big years the soap has had, and one in particular caught our eyes.

Eight years ago, in 2014, there was death and destruction, heartache and grief, and truly shocking storylines, as well as soap firsts.

As well as the romance and happier times, there were plenty of showdowns, dangerous twists and life-changing moments too.

Let's start with the heartbreaking death of Donna Windsor, who took her own life in a devastating sacrifice.

Donna Windsor, who took her own life in a devastating sacrifice (PA)

Fearing evil Gary North would never leave her lover Ross Barton and her daughter April Windsor alone, especially with her previously being diagnosed with a terminal illness, she took her own life and his.

Handcuffing herself to the villain, she jumped from the top of a multi-storey car park and fell to her death.

The scenes were heartbreaking, especially with Ross watching as she died, and little April was devastated by the loss of her mother.

Declan then tried to shoot Charity with a flare gun, but accidentally shot Robbie instead (Shared Content Unit)

Donna wasn't the only tragic death in 2014, with two other characters killed off in dramatic scenes that same year.

Teen Gemma Andrews was accidentally killed by Belle Dingle, when she shoved her friend during a row.

Gemma slipped and hit her head, but got up and walked away seemingly fine, and it was only when she went missing that the horrifying truth was revealed.

James Barton was the biological father of his 'nephew' Adam Barton (ITV)

The young teen sadly died from her injuries, and Belle was later arrested over the death, and sentenced for manslaughter.

She was released after a few months, and her mental health began to deteriorate on what was another huge storyline for the youngster.

Elsewhere, and another death twist left everyone reeling when Declan Macey accidentally killed his own nephew Robbie Lawson.

Declan had taken wife Charity to a cabin in the woods for a 'trip away', when in fact he was planning on killing her.

Val Pollard learned she had been diagnosed with HIV (ITV)

Charity soon learned the truth and faced a dramatic battle for survival after she was attacked, and she soon made it onto a lifeboat.

But Declan managed to catch up with her, as characters including Robbie and his mother Megan managed to track them down and they tried to stop the deadly plan.

Declan then went to shoot Charity with a flare gun, but accidentally shot Robbie instead as he tried to help Charity.

Gemma Andrews was accidentally killed by Belle Dingle (ITV)

Robbie died from his injuries, and despite Charity then hitting Declan over the head and seemingly killing him, he soon returned briefly.

Other huge storylines around this time included the revelation that James Barton was the biological father of his 'nephew' Adam Barton.

Val Pollard learned she had been diagnosed with HIV, after a fling in Portugal, with this being a huge storyline for the character and the soap.

Got any theories or thoughts on the storyline? Let us know in the comments section below

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.

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