Emmerdale Leah Bracknell’s life – Childhood fame, career U-turn and death at 55

Emmerdale is set to pay tribute to Zoe Tate tonight (January 31, 2023), when Noah Dingle learns that she left a gift for him.

Zoe was one of the original Tate family members to live at Home Farm, with the late actress Leah Bracknell making the character a fan-favourite for nearly two decades.

However, viewers were left devestated when Leah died in 2019 at the age of 55 years old.

READ MORE: Emmerdale 2023 predictions – Caleb is Chloe's dad, revenge plot and wedding drama

As Emmerdale continues Zoe Tate's legacy, Daily Star looks back on the life of actress Leah Bracknell.

Childhood fame

Long before Leah became an Emmerdale icon, the star landed her debut screen role in the 1976 TV series The Chiffy Kids.

From there it was onwards and upwards for the actress, with Leah landing roles in TV series such as Judge John Deed, Casualty 1907, Doctors and The Royal Today.

However her most famous role came in 1989, when she first appeared as Emmerdale fan favourite Zoe Tate.

She was not the only famous star in her family however, as father David Ian Bracknell was a TV director, while her mother Li-Er Hwang was an actress.

David directed The Chiffy Kids, which Leah appeared in for one episode.

Her father also directed TV series including The Sweeney and Minder, as well as working as an assistant director on Hollywood blockbusters such as Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom.

Speaking about working with her famous father, Leah told The Guardian: "I wanted to be an actress from the age of five.

"I used to hang out with the technicians when my father was making films and inevitably you pick up the whole atmosphere. I spent years bullying him into giving me things to do until he finally let me appear in The Chiffy Kids."

Emmerdale exit

Leah's character Zoe was one of the original Tate family members to join Home Farm in the eighties, alongside brother Chris and father Frank.

The actress played Zoe for more than 16 years from 1989 to 2005, before the character left the village following her arrest for attempted murder.

The storyline earned the actress the Best Exit prize at the British Soap Awards in 2006, and she was also nominated for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards in 2002.

Leah explained to The Guardian that she had decided to take a break from Emmerdale to spend more time with her family, as well as qualify in a different profession.

Speaking about playing the character, she said: "I loved playing Zoe but by the time I left she was an emotional wreck. I wasn’t sure where else I could take her."

Career U-turn

Although Leah continued to act throughout her life, the star also made a career U-turn when she trained to become a yoga practitioner.

The star released two DVDs – Yoga and You and Yoga For Life – and also launched her own classes in Shipley.

Speaking about the impact that teaching and practicing Yoga had on her life, Leah told The Telegraph and Argus in 2011: "I teach yoga from my own perspective – I look at what it has done for me.

"I feel stronger now than ten years ago, and more confident about my body. I cannot stress enough what an impact yoga has had on my life."

Marriage

Away from the limelight, Leah was married to her husband Jez Hughes between 2017 and 2019.

The couple married in a small ceremony in Horsham, West Sussex on March 10, 2017 after being together for more than 13 years.

Leah also had two children called Lily and Maya.

Speaking about her husband to The Sun, following her diagnosis with cancer in 2016, Leah previously said: "My husband is like my rock.

"He is by my side a lot of the time. He has been a great sounding board.

"I think we support each other as well. My family do OK. I’m not positive all the time, but I am optimistic."

Cancer battle

In 2016, Leah was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.

The star made appearances on daytime talk show such as This Morning and Loose Women, where she spoke openly about her diagnosis.

During an appearance on Loose Women in 2017, she said that she had decided not to ask the doctors how long she would have left to live, and that this gave her a feeling of "empowerment."

"I didn’t want doctors to guestimate how long I have left,” she explained to panelists Andrea McLean, Nadia Sawalha, Jennie McAlpine and Kaye Adams.

"I don’t wake up every morning feeling fearful, I wake up feeling grateful and excited about life."

She added: "I’m going to choose to embrace life, I’m going to choose to be thankful that I have lie. I might not have had life. Then suddenly all those things I used to worry about, all the rubbish, it just goes."

Following Leah's diagnosis, friends and fans across the country donated over £50,000 to help towards the cost of treatments such as immunotherapy.

Following the fundraising campaign, Leah thanked fans in a post saying: "I really did not expect or feel deserving of such interest and kindness."

Tragic death at 55

Leah died on September 15, 2019 at the age of 55 years following her cancer diagnosis, with a statement announcing her death saying: "It is with the deepest sadness that Leah Bracknell's family confirm that Leah passed away in September, three years after her diagnosis with stage 4 lung cancer.

"They would like to thank all the public for their support and generosity which contributed to the extension and quality of her life over the past three years.

"Leah continued to embrace life and faced her illness with positivity."

Fans and fellow soap stars paid tribute to the actress following her death, with Coronation Street's Sally Ann Matthews saying Leah was a "beautiful soul" and that the "world has lost a little sparkle".

Happy Valley actress Sarah Lancashire also paid tribute, tweeting: "Such sad news – the brilliant Leah Bracknell has passed away aged 55 after a 3 year cancer battle. Thoughts go out to her family and friends xxxx "

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