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Emmerdale’s Amy Walsh admits taking mass soap axing ‘personally’ & reveals why she found filming final scenes difficult
She recently revealed her exciting new career move alongside her EastEnders star husband
EMMERDALE star Amy Walsh has admitted she took the soap’s recent mass cast cull “personally”.
The actress, who has played Tracy Robinson on and off since 2014, opened up about the emotional toll of filming her co-stars' final scenes after a massive cast cull.
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The star revealed what it was like to film the explosive stunt back in February, which saw a full limo crash into an icy lake and slowly sink under water.
The crash killed three characters in a massive cast cull: Suzy Merton, Amy Wyatt and Leyla Harding - who died from their injuries.
Speaking about the filming the heart-breaking scenes, Amy revealed: "It was the best experience I've had on the show. I've never been involved in a big stunt.
"We were doing night shoots for weeks. It was with all my closest friends in the show.
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"I loved all the emotional content. It was heart-breaking, but great to be involved with."
Close to tears, she added: "It was hard. It was really emotional. On a personal level, I found it really hard. I'm really really close to Roxy and Natalie Ann.
"They were pretending to be dead and I couldn't quite cope. I had to step away at one point.
"It was just a sad sad time, but you know, it's the nature of the beast."
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The 37-year-old recently revealed her exciting new career move alongside her EastEnders star husband, Toby Alexander Smith.
Taking to Instagram, the soap power couple announced they will be launching a drama school - in a bid to inspire fresh talent.
Horrifying moment Emmerdale legend has nasty fall - leaving him struggling alone at home
Toby said: "The Walsh Academy North will open on 2nd June 2025 and provide speech and drama classes for children aged from 7 to 16."
Amy chimed in and revealed that herself and Toby will be the acting coaches.
She added that their aim is not to make every child a TV star - but to offer a safe space from them to express themselves and meet new friends to have fun with.
The Walsh Academy was established in London in 2021 by Amy Walsh's sister, Sally Sheppard Walsh.
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans - Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning - Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre - Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow - despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla's brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony - then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs - Molly was one of the victims in Corrie's 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin's wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly's side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack's father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth - Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap's most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey's exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman - Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt's (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance - and marriage - with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 - with the expectation it would result in the character's death.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden - After the family got into financial problems, Sarah's son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn't realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers - The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen - The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family's car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble - but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
They wrote: "The academy has flourished and the students are THRIVING! That is why we are a thrilled to be bringing The Walsh Academy… to the NORTH!"
The soap stars first met in 2019 while in the audience of Strictly Come Dancing and quickly moved in together ahead of the coronavirus pandemic.
Two years after they met, they welcomed their first child Bonnie Mae in December 2021.
In August 2023, they got engaged during a romantic holiday in Ibiza.
In September 2023, they tied the knot in a star-studded ceremony in front of family and friends in Montenegro.
She told “It was honestly the most perfect day. It surpassed all my expectations and more. I felt so surprisingly present on the day and loved every second. Now I’m just in pure bliss.
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"Our family and friends are really important to us and we wanted everyone to have the best time.
“They all made such an effort to come out there for us. Friends left their kids for the first time and spent their money getting there. We wanted it to be really special.”
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