Emmerdale legend Claire King on ‘weird’ time on soap after shock mass cast cull
Emmerdale's Claire King has opened up about her co-star's axe from the soap
Emmerdale icon Claire King has opened up about her sorrow following the departure of her fellow cast member.
Claire, a stalwart of the popular ITV soap since 1989, has become synonymous with her portrayal of the village’s femme fatale, Kim Tate, entangled in numerous high-stakes plots.
Her character’s journey has been anything but dull, marked by intense rivalries and even staging her own demise.
Kim’s love life has also been a central theme, from her tumultuous relationship and marriage to Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) to her recent tragic love story with Will Taylor (Dean Andrews), who met his end last Christmas.
However, Will’s d.e.a.t.h isn’t the only recent loss in Emmerdale. This February saw a devastating limo crash claim the lives of several villagers, including Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) and Amy Barton (Natalie Ann Jamieson), reports Belfast Live.
In a candid discussion with Reach and other media outlets, Claire expressed how much she “misses” Dean since his character was written out. Reflecting on the impact of Will’s absence, Claire remarked: “It’s been weird.”
She elaborated: “I mean it’s great for the character and characters move on and you get somebody else to play with. But I kind of miss Dean!”.
The beloved television star continued, noting the age gap with her current co-stars: “He was my age and I’m now dealing with a whole load of 30-year-olds!” With a chuckle, Claire added: “And I don’t do TikTok, so I kind of stand there like ‘what on earth are you talking about?'”.
“Whereas Dean and I would talk about horse racing or the rugby or something!”.
Despite a number of cast departures over the past year, Claire is rumoured to have inked a fresh contract with Emmerdale. At 63, the actress is reportedly set to continue her reign as the iconic Kim Tate on the ITV soap for another year.
An insider disclosed to The Sun: “Bosses love Claire and they are delighted she’s going nowhere. Kim Tate is one of the soap all time greats and it’s only right that she has a massive storyline.”
They added: “It’s going to delve into who Kim is and where she’s come from and see her rediscover the grit that made her Kim Tate. She’s going to stop at nothing to get what she wants – and make a few more enemies in the process as well as potentially changing the village forever.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm
