Tonight Emmerdale will be saying goodbye to one of its most loved characters.
Faith Dingle, currently played by actress Sally Dexter, will be bowing out of the ITV soap after battling a terminal cancer diagnosis. The scenes are expected to be heart breaking as she slips away following a short illness.
The character has been making beloved memories with her family knowing that her time is coming to an end. As her health has been spiralling she asked daughter-in-law Moira to help her end her life before the cancer takes hold of her too much - but will Moira help or will Faith succumb to the cancer?
READ MORE: Emmerdale Faith Dingle actress Sally Dexter's exit date and how she wanted to leave
While Faith is currently played by Sally, many fans may remember that it was actually another actor who originated the Dingle - Gillian Jephcott. Gillian starred as Faith in the ITV soap in 2000 and 2004, but when the character returned to the Dales in 2017, Sally was in the role instead.
But what has the original Faith star been up to since her exit? According to the Daily Star, after making her debut in Emmerdale , Gillian also had a part on Coronation Street. She played a tough prison officer back when the character Hayley Cropper was in jail accused of kidnapping.
Once she had waved goodbye to the Dales, the actress went on to be in television shows such as Doctors, Cutting It and Heartbeat. And in 2011 she was in an episode of medical drama series Monroe. Gillian has also worked on the radio and she appeared on stage in a production entitled I Want That Hair, a comedy which was set inside a hair salon and followed the lives of three good friends.
Last year the actresses actually came face to face when both took part in a soap quiz. According to the Mirror, Gillian joked to Sally: "Well you know if you're ever poorly, I'm here. Understudy."
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV
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