“I need to push myself out of my comfort zone!”
The funeral drama this week sees Megan contemplating leaving the village for good. Whether Megan will have such a downbeat departure remains to be seen, but one thing that’s certain is that actress Gaynor Faye (who plays her) has decided to leave Emmerdale after seven years, and her alter ego will head into the sunset at some point.
“It’s hard to turn my back on Emmerdale – I love it,” admits Gaynor. “But you have to be courageous in this world. It’s a risk, but I need to push myself out of my comfort zone.”
Gaynor plans to travel with her family, and then is heading to the theatre to appear in the stage version of Band Of Gold, the TV series written by her award-winning mum Kay Mellor.
“My son is about to finish school and we want to do some travelling before he leaves [for university],” explains the actress, who has two children, Oliver and Lily with her long-term partner Mark. “I doubt that we’ll be backpacking, but we just want to get out there and see some of the world before he gets too busy.” While Gaynor will have plenty of soapie pals in the stage show – the play will also star ex-eastender Laurie Brett (Jane Beale) and Hollyoaks actor Kieron Richardson (Ste) – will the door be left open at Emmerdale for her to see her village cast mates again should she decide to reprise her Dales role?
“It would be nice if it was, but when you leave you understand there’s a chance it won’t be, and that’s okay,” she grins. “I believe in fate, so whatever is meant to be, will be.”