She’s had a busy week on Emmerdale, popping up on Monday and last night – all of which left fans wondering: Is Brenda Walker still leaving? This comes after it was announced last year that actor Lesley Dunlop would be leaving the soap after 17 years.
However, she’s still here, in spite of breaking up with Pollard months ago and being at a loose end ever since – chiding Nicola for gossiping about the spat between Chas and Ella.
Her appearance in the soap this week has left fans wondering whether that’s still the plan. Is Brenda still on the way out?
‘Is Brenda still leaving?’ ask Emmerdale fans
Writing on social media as last night’s scenes aired, fans shared their confusion as to Brenda’s continued presence in the village.
“I’m sure that I read months ago that they had let the actress go as part of the budget cuts but except for her and Eric breaking up after he lost her money there’s been no indication that she’s leaving. Was it just a rumour?” asked one fan on Reddit.
“I thought Brenda was leaving Emmerdale? She was in it today,” pointed out another.
A third viewer had something of an explanation. “I notice when someone on Emmerdale gets the chop or chooses to leave, they totally vanish for ages, then when they emerge from wherever they’ve been, that’s the leaving plot,” wrote one fan.
“No she’s definitely leaving. It was confirmed by the actress and emmerdale,” agreed another.
Why is Lesley Dunlop leaving Emmerdale?
Last year, a source revealed that star Lesley Dunlop would be leaving the soap. They told The Mirror: “There have been so many exits recently and the talk is of more. With people like Lesley and Roxy potentially in the mix, nobody feels safe.”
“The show has grown a lot bigger in recent years but soaps are expensive to make. It’s inevitable saving money means losing people.”
The soap has not yet confirmed when or how Brenda will leave, but it is rumoured that ITV will leave the door open for her return.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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