Emmerdales Viv Hope star addresses wanting to leave soap sooner Not much I could gain

Emmerdale: Charity reveals she planned to terminate a pregnancy

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Deena Payne’s iconic Emmerdale character Viv Hope was tragically killed in the Post Office explosion in 2011 after ITV bosses felt her time on the soap was up. During an interview on Distinct Nostalgia – More Than A Podcast, Deena revealed she felt her character should have only lasted two or three years on the Yorkshire-based soap. 

When asked by podcast host Ashley Byrne about the impact Emmerdale had on her life, Deena confessed: “I think if I hadn’t have been a mum I would have chosen not to be in it for so long. 

“After about two or three years I felt there was not a lot more I could gain for my career. 

“But I am not a career-minded person, I am a people person and I think I would rather go for things that make me happy and that I want to do.”

She explained how went backpacking around Australia for a year, adding: “If I really wanted to get into the next West End musical, there’s no way I would have travelled. 

“But I wasn’t going to hang around, my boyfriend went and I thought, right, okay, I’ll go.” 

She later said she thought her son William Anthony Payne Grant brought her luck and she used the money she made through Emmerdale to give him a “good education and have a nice home”.

“I just feel I used [acting] as much as I could in every way and we now have a nice house,” Deena added. 

“We always thought we’d have a nice house but I never thought I’d be living up in Yorkshire.”

The 67-year-old actress is originally from Orpington, in Kent. 

She continued: “I never thought Yorkshire would be a place which I would enjoy because all my family are down south.” 

While she enjoys living in the north of England, she revealed her son didn’t get to see his grandparents very much. 

She tragically revealed: “Two weeks before I had my year off to be closer to mum and dad, my dad died suddenly.

“Everyone was great at Emmerdale, they really helped me through that.” 

While it was a difficult time in her life, she was grateful she could be near her mother to help her get through it.

She went on to reveal her family has always been very supportive of her acting career. 

“They have been supportive in whatever I have done,” she added. “I was in the West End in musicals, and I’ve done TV shows like The Bill.” 

The actress is best known for her iconic Emmerdale role and felt comfortable with the fame the soap gave her most of the time. 

However, she did admit: “Sometimes people were overly intrusive when I was on holiday or somewhere. 

“It made me a bit anxious at times, but generally [the fame] was fine.” 

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and is available to watch on ITV Hub. 

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