Emmerdale star exits after 19 years as missing character won’t return

| Soaps Reporter Published October 14, 2026 9:39am Updated October 14, 2026 9:39am Gabrielle Dowling began playing the role of Cathy in 2007 (Picture: ITV) The following article contains spoilers from the episode of Emmerdale dated October 14. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX and YouTube. Emmerdale has confirmed that Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling) won’t be returning to the village. Cathy left the village last year alongside Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop). At the time, it was reported that Gabrielle had departed the show to focus on her exams, but was expected to return. After suffering the death of her twin brother Heath Hope (Sebastian Dowling), Cathy joined Brenda on a round-the-world cruise. In today’s episode of the ITV soap, Cathy’s father Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) shared an update on his daughter and confirmed that she won’t be returning to the village anytime soon. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Bob entered the café and found Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) overwhelmed with grief following Jimmy King’s (Nick Miles) death. Bob sat beside Nicola and comforted her as she spoke about how much pain she was in. The conversation about grief and loss prompted Bob to speak about his late son, Heath. At the end of 2023, Heath, Angel King (Rebecca Bakes) and Cathy stole Wendy Posner’s (Susan Cookson) car and headed into Hotten for a New Year’s party. The car was being driven by Cathy initially, but Angelica decided to take over. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Tragedy struck for the trio when Angel crashed the car into a wall. While Angelica and Cathy sustained a few injuries, Heath wasn’t so lucky. The teen died shortly after Bob, Wendy, and the ambulance arrived. Cathy’s twin brother Heath died after a car crash (Picture: ITV) Bob was on hand to support Nicola (Picture: ITV) Bob revealed in his chat with Nicola that he’s been thinking a lot about Heath after Cathy told him that she’s decided to settle in Canada, and therefore won’t be coming back to the Dales. With Cathy now gone, Bob is facing a future without either of his children close by, leaving him with his own loneliness to contend with alongside his grief. He promised Nicola that he’d be there for her throughout her grief journey, but supporting her could also give Bob a sense of purpose at a time when he’s struggling himself. Deals of the Day My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that The skincare formula that finally took the guesswork out of my routine Families can save up to 20% on summer 2027 holidays in Club Med's four-day sale Cold mornings are coming and this is the dressing gown I want to live in Most of us aren't getting enough fibre – this easy supplement could change that By helping Nicola navigate the loss of Jimmy, Bob may find that being there for someone else helps him come to terms with his own feelings about the family he’s had to say goodbye to. Arrow MORE: All the Emmerdale cast returns, exits and new arrivals in 2026 Arrow MORE: Mystery letters flood Emmerdale village – and two residents are enraged Arrow MORE: Nicola’s unexpected saviour and Sadie’s shock new ally as Emmerdale spoilers reveal what happens next The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.