Tragic life of Emmerdale actress who died aged just 48 after being left on transplant list
The actress joined Emmerdale as Lizzie Lakely in 2009.
Tragic life of Emmerdale legend who died aged 48 (Image: ITV)
Emmerdale actress Kitty McGeever made history as the first blind actress to feature in a soap opera. Her portrayal of Lizzie Lakely from 2009 to 2013 cemented her status as a beloved character on the enduring soap. The trailblazing actress was born Catherine Mitchell but chose to adopt a stage name upon discovering another performer shared her birth name. The RADA-trained actress from Leeds surmounted numerous hurdles and personal tragedies on her path to soap fame.
Diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 19, she later developed a severe condition known as pre-eclampsia during her pregnancy 13 years afterwards. Kitty gave birth to her son Felix two months prematurely. Tragically, he fell ill with heart and lung complications and died when he was just 15 months old.
Speaking to the Mirror in 2009, she said: “He was struggling terribly and there was no way on God’s earth that I would let my son suffer. I knew he’d had enough. So I told them to take him off the ventilator. And I let him die in my arms.”
The strain of her son’s illness ultimately took a heavy toll on Kitty. Her kidneys ceased functioning, she experienced heart issues, and diabetic retinopathy led to her losing her sight.
Medical professionals informed Kitty the condition typically requires around 5 to 10 years to claim someone’s vision, but the pressure she experienced dramatically accelerated the progression. Despite receiving laser treatment to control the condition, Kitty lost her sight five months later aged 33.
Following months of dialysis, Kitty received a successful kidney operation which provided her with a fresh start – and determined she was prepared to resume acting again in 2008.
Kitty McGeever attending the British Soap Awards in 2011 (Image: Getty)
She was discovered by Emmerdale producers whilst performing a one-woman stage production where she examined her experiences as a blind woman.
They contacted her with plans to develop an authentic blind character for the ITV soap and Kitty played a key role in shaping the part.
Kitty first appeared as Lizzie Lakely back in 2009 and was introduced to the programme wearing a tag as Lisa Dingle’s mischievous cousin.
She had been convicted of a petty crime and featured in storylines such as Eric Pollard’s campaign in the council election, when she accepted bribes to give him her support.
Kitty’s character Lizzie had a brief romance with Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) (Image: ITV)
The pioneering performer disclosed to the Mirror that she received her scripts as audio recordings and two government-sponsored assistants were present on set with her to navigate her around the studios.
“My kidneys weren’t working so my body was filling with fluid and I went into heart failure,” she told The Mirror in 2009, external. “I realised there was something wrong with my eyes and went to see the specialist.
“They told me I had this condition that would usually take five to 10 years to take my sight, but it took five months because of all the stress.”
Nevertheless, the soap star’s health declined again in 2013 – and this compelled her to depart the show. She was awaiting another kidney transplant in 2015, before she tragically died on August 16 at the age of 48.
A spokeswoman for the show said at the time she died the actress was “surrounded by her loving family”.
They added: “Kitty was a great talent and a true inspiration to all who worked with her. The cast and crew are devastated at her passing and she will be missed tremendously and remembered fondly by all of us.”
Emmerdale producer Kate Oakes said McGeever was awaiting a kidney transplant when she died.
“Sadly she ran out of time on that, but what she did do was donate her liver and also her corneas, so Kitty’s family and Kitty have hopefully given the gift of life to someone else through this tragedy, which I think is just a wonderful thing,” she said in a video on the ITV website.
