Gaynor Faye has opened up about why she decided to leave Emmerdale...
Emmerdale star Gaynor Faye played Megan Macey from 2011 to 2019, and has now revealed the reason she decided to wave goodbye to the soap.
The actress spoke to So Glos about getting involved with stage production Band of Gold, based on the series of the same name.
She revealed, "I was working on Emmerdale at the time and got involved in workshopping Band of Gold and people just loved it… absolutely loved it.
"Then I got asked if I would be in it, but I was still in Emmerdale, so then I had to make the choice whether or not I was going to leave Emmerdale or not – and that was a big choice to make."
Gaynor confirmed that she left Emmerdale so she was able to work on Band of Gold, and said that she found working on the stage again "fantastic".
On top of this, Gaynor’s mum Kay Mellor wrote and directed the stage play.
She revealed that her mum really wanted her to be a part of the production, saying, "She really wanted me in it. She really liked my version of Rose. So, for her, she really wanted me to do it.
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"But it was a big decision I had to make and I didn’t make it lightly. It would’ve been great for me to able to go back to Emmerdale, but I had to leave to do the theatre job, so it was a very big decision."
Band of Gold is currently at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, and Gaynor told So Glos that working with Kay was a great experience.
She added, "She’s an amazing director – ask any of the actors… she gives us the freedom to discover what we wanted to play and she cares so much about the character."
After six years on Emmerdale, Gaynor’s last scene saw her character Megan leaving the village with her daughter Eliza.
Megan told her ex Jai Sharma at the time, "I have been thinking about this for a while. There is a fantastic school in Newcastle for children with cerebral palsy."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
