With the usual outrageous drama kicking off in the village, it's no surprise to Emmerdale fans how shocking the latest stories can be when they hit the headlines.
However, it's never easy when we have to say goodbye to some of our favourite Emmerdale characters — and 2022 was a year full of emotional, dramatic and unexpected farewells.
Faith Dingle (Sally Dexter), Liv Flaherty (Isobel Steele), PC Harriet Finch (Katherine Dow-Blyton), Al Chapman (Michael Wildman) and Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) all left the soap last year.
We also briefly welcomed back a number of familiar faces to the Dales, from Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) to Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh).
However, as we prepare to say another heartbreaking goodbye to more characters in 2023, let's take a look at who is returning and the newcomers set to call Emmerdale their home...
Who is leaving Emmerdale in 2023?
Only a couple of residents have left the soap so far, including Priya Sharma (Fiona Wade) and Marcus Dean (Darcy Grey), but will we be saying goodbye to more much-loved characters this year?
Here is our roundup of each Emmerdale resident bidding farewell to the Dales...
Priya Sharma
Priya Sharma left Emmerdale after 11 years as she was offered a new job in London.
Prior to her exit, as she held a promotional event for Take A Vow, a veil caught fire and the single mum suffered flashbacks of the ‘maize maze’ fire caused by killer Meena Jutla that left her scarred for life. She had a breakdown and fled the event, but she was given the opportunity of a lifetime.
A business contact offered her a dream job in London, which Priya accepted and she bid an emotional farewell to her family, taking her young daughter Amba Metcalfe (Ava Jayasinghe) with her for a fresh start in the capital.
Marcus Dean
After one year, Marcus Dean left the village as he cheated on his boyfriend Ethan Anderson (Emile John).
He arrived in February 2022 as the long-lost son of evil Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather) and his entrance caused a stir amongst the residents — in particular, Pierce's victim and ex-wife Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry).
She initially found it difficult to see Marcus around Emmerdale, but he was eventually welcomed into the village after she realised that he wasn't like his abusive father.
Marcus soon began a relationship with lawyer Ethan, but their relationship broke down after Marcus wrongly assumed that Ethan was cheating on him. In reality, Ethan was planning to surprise Marcus with a house viewing he had secretly organised. However, it was too late as Marcus had already cheated on Ethan.
Marcus didn't ask for another chance and called Ethan boring, before Ethan threw his belongings out of the window — bye Marcus!
Who is returning to Emmerdale in 2023?
While we say goodbye to some beloved residents, we'll also be welcoming back some of our favorite Emmerdale characters...
Kerry Wyatt
Laura Norton is currently on maternity leave after it was revealed that she'd welcomed a second child into the world with partner Mark Jordon in October 2022. The couple now have a daughter called Ronnie and a son called Jessie.
Kerry Wyatt's exit was set in motion after she discovered her late fiancée Al Chapman had been having an affair with Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) in explosive scenes.
Following the revelation, Kerry took a job on a cruise ship, but she didn't go quietly... before she left Kerry dropped the bombshell that she was the mother of Chloe Harris (Jessie Elland), who is currently pregnant with Mackenzie Boyd's (Lawrence Robb) baby.
It's possible that Kerry could be returning to the village later this year — but what chaos could she come back to?
Vanessa Woodfield
Michelle Hardwick also took a break from Emmerdale in 2022 as she went on maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter Betty with wife Kate Brooks in November 2022. The couple also have an older son called Teddy.
We'll potentially see village vet Vanessa Woodfield return to the soap later in 2023 after she took a dream job in Canada.
Before Vanessa's departure, she had a row with her best friend Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) and split up with her girlfriend Suzy Merton (Martine Edinborough).
However, Rhona and Vanessa made up and she later went to The Woolpack for her farewell party where Rhona, Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) all waved her off as she left the village with her son Johnny.
Tracy Metcalfe
Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh) left the village in 2022 as actress Amy went on maternity leave following the birth of her baby with former EastEnders villain Toby Alexander-Smith over Christmas 2021. Amy is due to return to the soap full time and it's been hinted that she could come back this year to reprise her role as Tracy.
The build-up to her exit saw Tracy split up with her fiancée Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) after he cheated on her and lied about it. They were on the brink of reconciliation until she was offered a job in Nottingham to help other women with post-natal depression just like she had suffered with.
She said goodbye to her sister Vanessa and Nate and left the village with her baby daughter, Frankie.
Tracy briefly returned for Emmerdale's 50th anniversary and hooked up with Nate, before revealing that she was engaged to her boyfriend Ollie.
After having a change of heart, Tracy was hoping to rekindle their relationship, but she was left disappointed when she realised Nate had a thing for Naomi Walters (Karene Peter), leading to her leaving the village again.
In an interview with What To Watch, Amy teased her return and what could become of her soap alter-ego.
She said: "She should go and be and do and try — and if she fails she can always come back… and she probably will do in about a year’s time."
Who is arriving in Emmerdale in 2023?
There has been no announcement on when we'll be seeing some new faces in the village, but we'll update this page as soon as we find out.
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 (opens in new tab)(opens in new tab).
