Emmerdale child star in 'dark hole' after being axed from soap

Daisy Campbell has lifted the lid on her shock Emmerdale axe, revealing how the brutal cut left her "in a dark hole" after 13 years on the ITV soap. She was just seven years old when she joined Emmerdale, catapulting her into the spotlight almost overnight. But Daisy Campbell's life changed in an instant when she was suddenly axed from the ITV soap after dedicating 13 years to the role of Amelia Spencer. The decision, she admits, left her "in a dark hole" and questioning her future.

Now 22, Daisy has opened up for the first time about the devastating impact of her exit. She told The Sun: "When it's been ripped away from you, because that's what it genuinely felt like, it was so out of the blue - you do just get into a bit of a hole of, oh god, like, can I do this?" The actress revealed she sensed something was coming after Liam Fox, who played her on-screen dad Dan, left in 2023.

"I just had a feeling... I always get gut feelings," she explained. When her contract failed to arrive under a new producer, she knew her time was up.

"It was upsetting, because I loved it, and I loved the job," Daisy admitted. "You always think selfishly, like, why is this happening? Like, why me?"

Having spent most of her childhood on set, Daisy confessed she often longed to stay at school with her friends but never regretted the sacrifices.

"I feel like I did miss out a lot during my childhood... but I wouldn't change it," she said. "It was always such a hard job, but I never wanted to leave because Emmerdale's the most stable job you will have in an acting career."

Her character Amelia was written out last year after deciding to leave the village for Leicester following the conviction of her manipulative boyfriend Tom King.

Daisy quickly found work with a one-off role on Casualty, playing Georgina Birch, but admits she struggled once filming wrapped.

"I left Emmerdale in October, and then I filmed Casualty November, and it's a depressing month, it's darker nights, and I had a lot of time to think," she said.

At first, she enjoyed having freedom after growing up with a strict work schedule, but the novelty soon wore off as auditions failed to materialise into roles.

Looking for stability, Daisy decided to invest the savings she had carefully put aside from her soap career into a new venture.

Together with her grandad, she transformed a 200-year-old courthouse in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, into a Pilates studio, set to open next month.

"I want to use what I've got from Emmerdale and put that into something positive that can give me longevity."

She added: "I want to take a bad situation, because it was a bad situation last year, and put it into something positive and just bring people together."

Despite throwing herself into her new project, Daisy insists she hasn't turned her back on acting: "Acting is something I can never let go of, but for now this business comes first."