Emmerdale’s Rachael Gill-Davis has said a heartfelt farewell to the ITV soap.
On Wednesday, Rachael’s character Gail Loman left the village to start a new job in Devon with her mate. Over the past few weeks, Gail came to realise that she wanted more from her life than just helping out at the local boozer.
She attempted to impress people by organising a Mr and Mrs quiz, but that ended badly when she took part in a round with partner Ryan Stocks (James Moore).
Gail and Ryan ended up getting quite a few questions wrong. It left Gail feeling embarrassed, and she eventually came to the conclusion the couple were no longer in love with each other.
It was the status of her relationship changing and her career dreams that pushed Gail to leave. Ryan felt emotional saying goodbye to her, but he was ultimately pleased that Gail was going to find her happiness.
The scenes that saw Mary Goskirk (Louise Jameson) drive Gail out of the village marked the end of two years on the show for Rachael. She previously played Gail in 2019, but then returned permanently in 2023.
Following her departure, Rachael took to Instagram to pay tribute to the show.
Reflecting on the past couple of years, she said: ‘Well… what a mad two years this has been. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has shown love and support for the character over these past two years. The fans of Emmerdale are just fab and it’s been wonderful meeting some of you along the way. I did the absolute best with what I was given and it’s been lovely bringing a bit of humour to your screens now and again.’
‘A BIG thank you goes out to everyone who I have got to work with especially on the floor- the runners, props, sparks, camera ops, sound, costume & make up department (ahh), casting department, editors (who I pestered multiple times so I could see my scenes before they aired), digital team, ADs, script supervisors – the list goes on.
‘You all MAKE this show, work so hard and it’s been a privilege to have gotten to work with each and every one of you.’
Rachael added: ‘I want to thank all the writers and directors I have got to work ESPECIALLY Simon Ferguson who did this block. And the cast- I’ve met some really lovely people on this show- you know who you are- my love to you guys.
‘I’ve grown so much as a person and actor but now it’s time to get back to the industry I LOVE and have missed. Excited for what is next.’
Among the comments, plenty of Rachael’s friends and co-stars shared support for her. Jay Kontzle, who plays Billy Fletcher, said: ‘Wishing you the best’, while Dawn Taylor star Olivia Bromley wrote: ‘Wonderful work, you will be so missed my love. ONWARDS!’.
When Gail returned to the village a few years ago, it wasn’t long until she reunited with Ryan. They were faced with a challenge towards the end of 2023, which saw us learn that they have a son together called Oscar.
Because he was born when Gail and Ryan were still quite young, they concluded putting Oscar up for adoption would be best for him.
It transpired during this story that Oscar had been diagnosed with cancer and needed a stem cell transplant.
It also saw Oscar’s adoptive mother Sophie (Martha Cope) worry about Ryan and Gail, as she orchestrated a lie that meant the couple could no longer see their son, primarily out of fear they’d one day want to take him away from her.
