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The long-running soap opera Emmerdale is currently going through a massive shakeup after Sebastian Dowling's tragic exit from the show. The fan-favorite actor played Heath Hope for a whopping 17 years and his exit caught fans off guard as the plot of the show took an unexpected turn.
His character resonated with fans and Dowling's journey on the show came to an end when Heath Hope tragically died in a crash on New Year's Day. The actor took to Instagram and bid goodbye to the show as he wrote:
"Thanks to everyone @emmerdale for such a fun time filming over the 17 years."
Fans now wonder what the show will be like after the actor's departure.
Why did Heath leave Emmerdale?
Sebastian Dowling, who played Heath Hope on Emmerdale, dramatically exited the show, leaving both fans and his co-stars surprised and saddened. This came after a car crash involving Heath, his sister Cathy, and their friend Angelica King.
The trio borrowed Wendy Posner's car on New Year's Eve to have some fun. The episode did not feature the crash and only witnessed Bob Hope and Wendy Posner discovering the injured teens when they came across the car. While Cathy and Angelica were conscious, Heath died despite several attempts that were made to save him, confirming his exit from the show.
Cathy kept saying she wasn't behind the wheel during the accident, which made people wonder if she was trying to cover up what had happened.
Are Heath and Cathy twins in Emmerdale?
In the TV show Emmerdale, the characters Cathy and Heath Hope are twins. They are twins in real life as well and are played by Gabrielle and Sebastian Dowling. They've been playing these roles since they were babies, born in December 2006.
The twins' mother, Louise, signed up her twins to be part of the show when she was pregnant. Sebastian and Gabrielle have been part of the show since 2007 and joined the cast when they were four weeks old.
In 2007, Louise mentioned to the Huddersfield Examiner that things like this were rare:
"You don't get opportunities like this every day, and it will be something for them to look back on when they are older."
The connection between Cathy and Heath in real life adds depth to their characters.
Emmerdale cast in 2024
In 2024, the cast of Emmerdale is set to go through some changes with a few actors leaving and new ones joining.
Fans were taken by surprise when Sebastian Dowling left the show after his character Heath Hope was killed in a car accident.
However, some new actors are set to join the soap opera, including Paula Lane from Coronation Street and Beth Cordingly from The Bill. Vanessa Woodfield, played by Michelle Hardwick, is also set to return to the show after her maternity leave.
The title is available to stream on various platforms such as BritBox, Amazon Channel, Sky Go, STV Player, Prime Video, and TVNZ+. Fans can also purchase or rent episodes on Amazon Video and Apple TV. Those who are not based in the UK can use a Chrome extension called Beebs to access all the episodes on the ITV Hub website.
