‘Grieving’ Olivia Bromley didn’t want Emmerdale to kill Dawn Fletcher

Olivia spoke to me at length about her time in the Dales and what the future may hold (Picture: Alex Cameron) Am I okay, you ask? No, no I am not, actually! Still mending my scarred heart from the death of THE Jimmy King, Emmerdale went and slaughtered everyone’s emotions once again by killing off long-suffering Dawn Fletcher, right on the moment she was finally on the cusp of happiness. Cradling a newborn baby and looking to the future with, admittedly kidney stealing, woman killing, all round bad apple, Joe Tate, the show pulled the blood stained rug right from under us as Dawn was found dead, eight years after Olivia Bromley’s debut in the show eight years ago. I caught up with the lady herself very recently, and we grimly agreed that such an ending is SO Dawn, who could just never catch a break – often, Olivia admitted, due to her own appalling decisions – but does that make it the right outcome? Well, for me, no – I personally am a little bit weary of the show killing off young women in random car related disasters. And, while thrilled with a high octane exit, Olivia herself really didn’t want her character to be bumped off either, and would have relished the chance to return some day to continue the journey. ‘I’m not going to lie, I’d have preferred her to stay alive!’ she told me in our craic for Metro. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The ending none of us wanted! (Picture: ITV) Remaining positive and philosophical about it all, and embracing the chance for future opportunities, Olivia mused: ‘I was so excited to go out and do other things and spread my wings. As an actor, after eight years, it’s important to be able to embrace new challenges, I’ve felt. ‘But I wouldn’t have killed her off if it was my choice. I’d have loved to have been able to play her in the future. But this is the thing about being an actor; the producers make decisions, they’ve got this great story, and when we talked about it, I was like, “Oh my goodness, it’s so tragic!” But also, in a way, it’s exciting because I knew when we were talking about the story that it means I can’t come back – or can I? Who knows? I mean, Graham came back! Maybe I’ll come back as Dawn’s twin or something. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘But it also meant that I was like, “Okay, this is a big bang exit, and it means that I can go out and embrace new challenges fully and not have that in the back of my mind.'” Dawn’s twin? I can already imagine Joe Tate’s face – give it a couple of years and that would make quite the storyline! To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Dawn chose Joe in the end – a fatal error it would seem! (Picture: ITV) That said though, while it hasn’t been that long since she filmed the scenes (in sweltering heat avec fake baby bump), Olivia tells me she has actually had little time for a break and has got some pokers in the fire. ‘It’s weird because I’ve been on such a full-on schedule for so long and, particularly these episodes, we filmed them over a double block. It’s come around very quickly. ‘I feel like I’ve only just finished filming it. I feel like I’ve just recovered! ‘I do need a break, and I think when you’ve been living with a character for so long, you need to be able to shed that character and give yourself a little bit of a breather to be able to start again. ‘But I am back into things now, very busy, which is good. I just think its going to be a weird and new experience for me, looking at different characters and being able to look at different projects, because I’ve been playing the same one for eight years. ‘There are so many little things up in the air that I can’t even mention. I have something which will be quite fun, I’m hoping, and when it’s confirmed I will let people know. ‘But it’s interesting, because now I’m suddenly having to approach auditioning and new characters and the whole industry in a totally different way than I have done before. But it’s so exciting. It just feels like the perfect time for me and the character to end this chapter. I feel really grateful to have been able to end it in such a way.’ The actress is now ready and excited to spread her wings – although auditioning again is frightening (Picture:Matt Mella) Olivia’s mind is open to anything now, from more TV stage work – she cited dream roles in gritty Northern dramas or a fantasy epic like House Of The Dragon – and would absolutely do another soap, as she is in love with the genre. But it’s still all very intimidating – and likely always will be in the acting industry! ‘Yeah, it’s frightening. When I first started doing soap, the idea of doing TV when you just walked into a set and had a couple of takes to do something, it was the scariest thing in the world, but suddenly that becomes second nature. ‘Now, the scariest thing in the world to me is stepping out onto a stage where I can’t go again, and there are no cameras and stuff. Or even auditioning in a totally different way than I used to. I think it’s going to be an exciting new chapter and something that I have been needing to do, but I also think it’s not going to be without its challenges, because when you’ve been in the very fast-moving soap world for a long time, you work in a very particular way.’ Olivia is naturally made for those gritty Northern roles she speaks of – she names Suranne Jones and Sarah Lancashire as stars from soap she really looks up to who have shaped careers since – but one of her co-stars has a different thought. Kim Tate’s very own Claire King wants to see her pal in a period drama. The sound of music! I was in my element to be able to nerd out with Olivia over a shared passion of ours – TV and film soundtracks. And if she were to have an alternate career, music is definitely something she would explore. ‘My dream alternative career – but this is not based in reality really – I would do something with music. I used to think I would love to be a film composer and write music for film and TV. And I’d still like to go back and study that a little bit if I can, because I’m fascinated by that and the use of music in film. ‘But I’d also just be in a band, because I think it’s the most fun thing to do, just write music and play it with friends. There are loads of things I’d want to do, actually. Lots of brainstorming going on!’ Naturally I pull the conversation back to film, TV and gaming compositions because that’s just me. Olivia enthused: ‘The scoring is just fascinating. The psychology behind it and how clever people are. I would have to learn a lot about it but I’m interested in it so I always thought it would be a bit of a dream job. Or to just curate playlists, basically!’ Wait, people get PAID to do that? That’s how I spend my Saturday nights… ‘Aw! I miss Claire!’ she smiled. ‘It would be really different from Dawn, wouldn’t it? As actors, you crave playing characters and transforming a bit and playing different people, and to do something that is heightened in a different way would be cool. But genuinely, all characters are exciting at this moment in time, so we’ll see, I guess!’ And what about reality TV? Amiable, grounded and always with a smile, Olivia is a joy to speak to and always has been, we have spoken countless times over the last eight years. One of the nicest people in the industry, Olivia has made it clear that she is here for the love of the craft rather than the showbiz side. Somewhat reticent about exposing too much of her real self, she is coy about what she would and would not do, but hasn’t closed the door on any possibility. She pondered: ‘I’ve always felt that I’d rather be an actor than a personality, and I’d prefer to keep myself more anonymous than doing reality TV. However, certain reality TV, like Strictly, for example – Lawrence, who plays Mackenzie, is doing Strictly this year – is such a cool experience because you learn a skill at the same time, and you get really good at something. I actually think never say never on any of those things. ‘Even some of the ones I’m obsessed with watching, like Race Around the World or Hunted, they’re fun because they’re proper challenges. And obviously, Traitors we were all completely addicted to. So, where I’ve said previously that I’d prefer not to be known in a reality type of way, I think they’re really cool experiences that you can have. So maybe! It would be about the challenge and the game really!’ Of course, we have only just seen Dawn pass away on screen (still raging, btw) and so Olivia, who says she is grieving for the character, hasn’t quite been able to shed her beloved alter ego yet. And there’s still the prospect of watching her own funeral! (‘I don’t know if that would be a good psychological thing to do!’) It’s evident that the actress will never fully leave Dawn behind and she is filled with as much love for her alter-ego as the fans have for her. She has fully embraced Dawn’s journey as a very flawed underdog, capable of both self destruction and growth, who turned out to be a fierce survivor through life’s ups and downs. Well until a marquee collapsed on her, but we aren’t going to dwell on that for the sake of my blood pressure. She admits that she struggled to align herself to the Dawn she knew and loved during the era when she ended up in the ‘big house’ – that’s Home Farm, not prison – but she diplomatically added that an actor thrives with challenges. Dawn has come on a very long – and arduous – journey (Picture: ITV) Should’ve stuck with Billy! (Picture: ITV) So how would Olivia like Dawn to be remembered? ‘I’m just so thankful for the lovely messages and the support that I have got over the years for Dawn. And also, the opportunity to play these stories. ‘But I think, for me, the opportunity to live with this character who came in, who was vulnerable, who was homeless, who was a heroin addict, and she managed to build herself up and get her children back and come out of that and then ended up in the big house, where she made some absolutely catastrophic decisions! But haven’t we all? And I’m proud of Dawn’s trajectory. ‘I know it ended in tragedy, but, in a way, I think it was a really big, fitting end for that character who I’ve just loved playing. Deals of the Day The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 A friend said I looked 'snatched' – I credit this new Charlotte Tilbury powder Shop MySweetSmile's biggest Bank Holiday offers before they end Back-to-school shopping just got a lot cheaper thanks to Primark The back-to-school essential parents forget every year – and it could cost them ‘I’m so grateful to the audience for supporting and enjoying her. Even when they’ve hated her, and they’ve been so angry, they’ve been engaged with her or been like, “God, you’ve made such terrible decisions here!” But I’ve always felt that there’s been so much passion. I’ve been very lucky, and I’m going to miss it so much.’ Arrow MORE: Emmerdale Dawn death tragedy aftermath as spoilers confirm what happens next Arrow MORE: Is Dawn Taylor leaving Emmerdale and does she die? 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