Gaynor Faye left ‘Emmerdale’ specially to star in her mum’s play ‘Band of Gold’.
The former Dales actress left her role as Megan Macey in the ITV soap after making a "big" decision to depart the show to star in her mother Kay Mellor’s theatre production, which she penned after creating the late 90s TV series.
She said: "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."
Asked if she left ‘Emmerdale’ specifically to be in ‘Band of Gold’, she replied: "I did. It was a big thing. But I’m absolutely loving it. I’m having a great time – doing theatre again is just fantastic."
Gaynor – who has also starred in ‘Coronation Street’ – admits she didn’t make the decision to leave ‘Emmerdale’ "lightly".
She said: "She really wanted me in it. She really liked my version of Rose. So, for her, she really wanted me to do it.
"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."
But she loves teaming up with her mum – who also created ‘Fat Friends’, which Gaynor starred in and co-wrote some episodes with her mother – and has praised her "amazing" directing skills.
Speaking to SoGlos, she added: "Working with my mum, Kay Mellor, is fantastic.
"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.
"Everybody in the cast was cherry-picked, lots of people were desperate to play the parts because it’s such a huge opportunity."
Gaynor Faye left Emmerdale specifically to join Band of Gold
