Donna Windsor has been mentioned a bit in Emmerdale of late. Played by actress Verity Rushworth, she was a staple in the soap for many years.
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So what happened to Donna in Emmerdale? How waas she killed off? And what is Verity up to these days?
We answer these questions and more below…
When did Donna Windsor join Emmerdale?
Donna joined Emmerdale along with the Windsor family in 1993.
The family relocated to the northern village from London and set up shop at the village post office.
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However, Donna was originally played by actress Sophie Jeffrey. Verity Rushworth took over from the role in 1998.
Who were Donna Windsor’s family?
Donna’s parents were Vic and Viv Windsor. And she had two half-siblings – Scott and Kelly Windsor.
Many years later, she became a big sister to two further half-siblings – twins Cathy and Heath hope – who Viv had with her third husband Bob Hope.
Donna married Emmerdale stalwart Marlon Dingle in 2006, but after Marlon discovered she was having an affair in 2009, she fled the village.
She returned five years later in 2014 with her four-year-old daughter, April.
Marlon was then left stunned to discover that he was a dad.
What happened to Donna Windsor?
Donna was killed off from Emmerdale in September 2014.
When she arrived back in the village, Marlon said he wanted nothing to do with his newly discovered daughter.
However, Donna was hiding a terminal diagnosis. Suffering from mesothelioma, she finally revealed she only had a few years at best to live.
But she sacrificed her life five months following her comeback on the soap.
She flung herself off a multi-story car park while handcuffed to villain Gary North.
This left Marlon as a single dad to daughter April.
Donna said of her exit storyline: “It’s the end of an era, I grew up with the show and it felt like going home. It feels weird that it’s completely, definitely, over for me.
“I had a break, which was lovely, and now it feels like I’ve gone full circle and it’s completion. I feel like I have had therapy because of all the crying, it’s like I’ve released all this emotion and now I’m ready to let it lie.”
Did Verity win a British Soap Award?
She went on to win Best Scene at the British Soap Awards in 2015 for her final scene on the soap.
Verity said of the win: “I came away with a British Soap Award which really put a cherry on top of my time at Emmerdale.
“I am starting a new chapter of my life and closing the door on Emmerdale, which has been a huge part of my life, was hard. So I was thrilled to come away with a British Soap Award award!
“I didn’t think I would win it because I was only back in the soap for six months and nearly a year later it was recognised! I really wasn’t expecting it – I am chuffed to bits!”
What is Verity Rushworth up to now?
Verity is now married to theatre director Dominic Shaw and they share two young children – daughter Amelie and son Ethan.
Since leaving Emmerdale Verity has worked on several stage productions.
And she also played Lily Walker on Doctors from 2020 to 2021.
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