When actress Sally Dexter suggested to her soap bosses that her character, Emmerdale favourite Faith Dingle, should be killed off, she imagined going out in a blaze of glory.
"When we discussed Faith returning to the show, I thought it would be good if she died," reveals the 62 year old, whose character left the Yorkshire Dales in 2019 following a bust-up with her son Cain, before returning in February this year.
"I liked the thought of her saving her children, Cain and Chas, and one idea I had was to have a gunman burst into the pub and for Faith to save them all," Sally explains.
However, ITV bosses had a far more moving finale in mind when they invited Sally back to reprise the role.
Having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, soap matriarch Faith had undergone a double mastectomy and was in remission.
"The producers quite rightly came up with a much more sensible and interesting idea of using her breast cancer and for it to turn secondary," explains Sally. "People go through this daily and I think it’s important for viewers to know they are not alone."
Secondary (or metastatic) breast cancer is when it spreads to other parts of the body – commonly the bones, brain, lungs or liver – becoming incurable.
There are an estimated 35,000 people living with secondary breast cancer in the UK. In around five per cent of cases the cancer has already spread before it is first diagnosed.
In Emmerdale, Faith’s doctors sent her for a series of scans after she started to feel unwell in May, revealing that her cancer, which has been in remission for almost four years, has returned and spread to her lungs and spine at a rapid rate.
Secondary breast cancer can be treated, but currently can’t be cured. Treatments including hormone (endocrine) therapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, bone-strengthening therapy and, more recently, immunotherapy. All aim to control the cancer, relieve symptoms and maintain quality of life for as long as possible.
With any cancer, life expectancy is difficult to predict – each case is different and no two cancers progress in the same way. However, as treatments improve, more and more people are living longer after a secondary diagnosis. Faith was advised that chemotherapy would be the best form of treatment for her and has been undergoing gruelling sessions ever since.
However, last week her journey took a turn for the worse when new scans revealed the chemo was not working. She was given the devastating news she only has months to live.
"Faith has been really poorly with the chemotherapy so when she finds out the treatment isn’t working, she makes the very difficult decision to stop," explains Sally.
"She hopes that by doing so and moving to palliative care [aimed at optimising quality of life and mitigating pain, rather than treating the condition], she will be able to have a better quality of life and enjoy the rest of whatever time she has left with her family and friends."
Sally, who along with the show writers has been working with charity Breast Cancer Now on the storyline, has found filming the scenes incredibly poignant.
"This is a story that matters to me and right from the start I have wanted to do it justice," she says. "It’s been hugely emotional to film but what has also been important to us is to get it right."
While it was her idea for Faith to die, Sally – who prior to joining the soap starred in various musicals – goes on to explain it’s also a double-edged sword because it means she will never be able to return to the show.
"I am hugely sad that it means I will be leaving again," she says. "In fact, I have been asking myself why I suggested she died. It’s so fantastic working on Emmerdale – I think I might start introducing the idea to them of having an Emmerdale ghost!"
An outgoing, glass half-full type, Sally says neither she nor her family have ever had any brushes with cancer. They have, however, suffered from heart problems. Her father died at the age of 70 from heart issues while the same condition killed her brother at the age of 58.
"My family are all heart. We are not here long enough to get cancer," she says. "It’s a Faith habit to make jokes of things and I tend to do the same."
Pausing, she smiles then says: "This storyline makes me realise how lucky I am. We never know what is going to happen and it is important we do make the very best of everything we can and all the people around us."
* Emmerdale is on ITV on weekdays at 7.30pm. For support and information, call Breast Cancer Now’s free helpline on 0808 800 6000, or visit breastcancernow.org
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