Emmerdale village vet Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) has been a much-loved resident since she first stepped into the Dales in 2012.
She was previously engaged to Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) and is now in a relationship with Suzy Merton (Martine Edinborough) — but with Vanessa about to accept a new job in Canada, could this be the end of their relationship and her time in the village?
With actress Michelle Hardwick also just given birth to her second child with wife Kate Brooks, it has had fans questioning: is Vanessa leaving Emmerdale?
Is Vanessa leaving Emmerdale?
Michelle, who plays Vanessa, is taking a break from Emmerdale as she is on maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter, Betty.
Vanessa's soap exit is set to air next week as she goes off on a big adventure that will make her say goodbye to the village once again.
During her farewell scenes, Vanessa learns that Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) has bought Jamie Tate's (Alexander Lincoln) share of the Emmerdale Veterinary Surgery after being persuaded by Kim Tate (Claire King).
Vanessa is unimpressed by the news and even more so when she discovers that Kim gets 15% off her vet bills as part of the contract.
However, this is the least of Vanessa's worries as she reveals that she's taking a new job in Canada, which leads to a row between Rhona and Vanessa.
The following day, Vanessa walks in on Suzy and Leyla Cavanagh (Roxy Shahidi) having a heart-to-heart and jumps to the wrong conclusion that they are doing drugs again.
She confronts them and Vanessa is left mortified by her mistake when both Leyla and Suzy prove that they're sober — but it's too late to repair their strained relationship and the damage has already been done.
Suzy is fed up with having to constantly defend herself to Vanessa and the pair agree to end their relationship.
Vanessa later goes to The Woolpack for her farewell party and her friends, Rhona, Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) all wave her off as she leaves the village in a taxi.
There has been no announcement confirming whether Vanessa's exit will be permanent so it seems like her departure is only temporary and she'll soon return to the village.
Vanessa previously left Emmerdale in 2020 to visit her mother, but after she suffered a bad fall, Vanessa decided to stay longer to look after her. In real life, Michelle was on maternity leave with her first child and returned to the soap in 2021.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30 pm on ITV1, with a hour-long episode on Thursdays — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITVX.
