EMMERDALE actress Samantha Giles has revealed she left the soap because she had “itchy feet”.
Samantha, 48, hung up her apron as Bernice Blackstock on Thursday night and now hopes to find a “grittier” role to get her teeth into.
The actress, who has in her most recent stint appeared on Emmerdale for seven years, told This Morning viewers that she had been thinking about quitting the ITV1 soap for “a couple of years”.
Samantha said: “I just felt it was the right time, I’d been thinking about it for a couple of years.
“Like a lot of actors, I’ve got itchy feet and just thought, ‘I need a change and want to play something a bit more gritty’.
“I want to do other stuff. There’s so many things out there.”
On Thursday night, viewers watched Bernice as she celebrated her hen party ahead of her wedding to Liam Cavanagh.
But after receiving the news that her ex-husband Charlie had been involved in a serious car accident in Australia, she decided to call off the wedding and fly Down Under with daughter Dee Dee.
Speaking about the door being left open for her, Samantha said: “I didn’t mind what they did [about my exit]. If you’re saying you’re going, you can’t say, ‘Oh don’t kill me though’.
“So I wouldn’t have minded that but they wanted to leave it open. That’s really nice that she’s not dead.”
Samantha announced her departure from Emmerdale in September.
Taking to Twitter, she said: “After 7 fabulous years I am shortly to be hanging up Bernices aprons and leaving the dales to pursue other creative projects.
“I will miss all the friends Ive made on the show, but Im very excited to be moving on to pastures new.”
Fans were devastated by the shock announcement and flocked to beg her to stay.
One wrote: “Oh Sam you are one of my favourites sorry to see you go but good luck in your next venture xx”
A second said: “Can’t believe it… Bernice is a fantastic character. Will miss her. Good luck”
Another added: “No you cant leave love bernice but good luck to the future.”
The actress joined the show originally in 1998 as a barmaid at The Woolpack after leaving her first husband when she caught him in bed with another man.
She was later joined by her mother Diane, and she went on to marry Vicar Ashley Thomas before their bitter split.
In 200, Bernice left the village for a life on cruise ships, leaving her daughter Gabby to be raised by her ex-husband.
She returned in 2012 for her most recent stint after splitting with her third husband Charlie and storylines since have seen her have affairs with Andy Sugden, a relationship with secretly gay Lawrence and a new romance with Dr Cunningham.
