ITV Emmerdale's Bernice Blackstock quits soap after 25 years and announces new plans

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Emmerdale legend Samantha Giles, who is famed for her role as Bernice Blackstock on the ITV soap, has confirmed she is departing the programme after 25 years although has kept the details of her exit quiet from viewers.The 52-year-old actress broke the news to fans on Friday's This Morning breakfast show alongside hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary where she discussed her love of witchcraft before announcing the bombshell news.Actress Samantha revealed she would be leaving the show and filming her last scenes in mid-November according to the Mirror, but didn't say anything about a possible return in the future or what her exit storyline might be.Her character is currently keeping a low profile on the ITV soap following the revelations that Nicky is gay and didn't want to go through with his wedding to Bernice's daughter Gabby.Asked how people have responded to the story so far, she told the publication: "At the beginning, it was a bit mixed as some people were wondering why they had given this story to a "comedy" character.

But I think that's the point."This happens to everyone, even someone like Bernice. Just because she's a fun character, it doesn't mean that she won't be dealing with something like this and it won't be really debilitating." Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. She also revealed the hobbies she enjoys away from the soap, explaining she loves yoga and exercise. "I like exercise and I do yoga at home," she explained."As a family, we like to go out for walks but my eldest isn't so keen now.

We do love to travel, but I imagine this will be the last year my eldest will come on holiday. "We might plump for somewhere like