Emmerdale has waved goodbye to not one, not two but three characters in its Boxing Day offering as Chloe Harris (Jessie Elland) and son Rueben have left the village for good in the wake of dad Damon’s (Robert Beck) demise.
Damon, as viewers know, was accidentally shot by Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) during a scuffle, which came about after he’d kidnapped Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), threatening his life.
Unwilling to let any harm befall her beloved Mack, Charity raced into danger and wrestled the gun from gangster Damon, who tried to take it back, resulting in the trigger being pulled and a shot being fired.
Damon collapsed to the floor, with subsequent scenes confirming that the character died. Chloe, despite being previously afraid of her father, proceeded to use his demise in a bid to get what she wanted.
Threatening to lie to the police about what she saw, Chloe proceeded to broker a deal to keep Charity out of prison in exchange for Mackenzie giving up his rights to his son and letting her leave the village once and for all.
Even after everything the trio were collectively put through this week, punishing Mackenzie and getting revenge was still at the top of her priority list, with even Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson), who doesn’t particularly like Mack, stunned by her sister’s actions.
Charity, meanwhile, was appalled at Chloe’s proposition, urging Mackenzie not to take it. Despite his reservations, however, Mack refused to let Charity go down for a crime she didn’t commit and therefore he reluctantly agreed to Chloe’s cruel terms.
Mack’s heart broke as he was allowed five minutes with son Reuben before Chloe told him his time was up and to mind his own business before ordering love rival Charity to not speak to her.
In devastating scenes, Chloe got into a taxi with Rueben in tow, as a crushed Mack watched on with Charity by his side.
Metro.co.uk understands that this was Jessie Elland’s last appearance as Chloe and that the character has been written out for good.
‘I’ve had the best two years of my life playing Chloe and being a part of Emmerdale,’ said Jessie, reflecting on her time in the show. ‘Over those two years it never got any less surreal to walk through the stage door at studios or to be stood outside the Woolpack at the village.
‘I feel so privileged to have been given this opportunity and to have been trusted with such wonderful storylines.
‘I really got to tick off the soap bingo card; giving birth, discovering new family members, a big stunt, a soapy slap, and even a classic back of the taxi exit! All while working with, and learning from, incredibly talented people that I’d grown up watching on screen.
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‘I’m sure you’ve heard other cast members say that being in Emmerdale is like being part of a big family but it couldn’t be more true. The cast and crew of Emmerdale are some of the nicest people I’ve ever been lucky enough to meet, and they all made Emmerdale feel like a second home to me.
‘What made my time at Emmerdale even more rewarding has been the reaction of the viewers to Chloe and her storylines. Meeting fans of the show and hearing how much it means to them is such a special experience and never fails to make me feel so proud and lucky to be even a small part of something so loved. I can’t say thank you enough for that.
‘It’s really difficult to articulate how much Emmerdale means to me and it was by no means an easy decision to leave such a wonderful place and such wonderful people, I’m going to miss it so much, but I feel unbelievably lucky to be coming away with amazing memories and friends for life!’
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
