Linda Fowler (also Glover) is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...

from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

ITV

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

, ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...

'', played by

Tonicha Jeronimo Tonicha Dobre (née Jeronimo; born 4 November 1977) is a British actress, born in Jersey, of partial Portuguese extraction. She is best known for her role as Linda Fowler in ''Emmerdale'' between 1994 and 1997 when her character was killed off. ...

from 1994 to 1997. It was reported on 6 May 1997 that Jeronimo had quit the soap after three years. The character was killed off in a car accident in October 1997, as part of the show's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Casting

In May 1997 Tonicha Jeronimo announced that she was leaving ''Emmerdale'' because of the "grinding despair" working on series made her feel. Jeronimo did not agree with the way her character was written out, and this made the actress realise that she made the right decision. Jeronimo told a columnist from the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...

'' that she believed producers killed her character as a punishment for quitting ''Emmerdale''.

Storylines

Linda arrives in Emmerdale with her family. She finds employment at the local veterinary practice as a receptionist, despite her father Ned's (

Johnny Leeze John Harold Glen (31 December 1941 – 25 October 2020), known professionally as Johnny Leeze, was a British actor of television and film. He was perhaps best known for playing Harry Clayton in the British soap opera '' Coronation Street'' fo ...

) objections when he learns that

Zoe Tate Zoe Tate is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Leah Bracknell. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 12 December 1989. Zoe was involved in many major storylines during her t ...

(

Leah Bracknell Alison Rosalind Bracknell (12 July 1964 – 15 September 2019), known professionally as Leah Bracknell, was an English actress who played the role of Zoe Tate in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (1989–2005), for which she was nominated for the ...

) is a lesbian. Linda has a relationship with Danny Weir (

Matthew Marsden Matthew David Marsden (born 3 March 1973) is an English-American actor, producer, singer and former model. He has appeared in films such as '' Helen of Troy'', '' Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid'', '' Tamara'', '' Resident Evil: Extinct ...

) and she becomes pregnant. She uses drugs from the vets to induce a miscarriage, but is hospitalised in a critical condition. She makes a full recovery, but loses the baby. Linda finds love with Biff Fowler (

Stuart Wade Stuart may refer to: Names *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile *Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Norther ...

) and they marry on the same day her brother

Dave Glover David "Dave" Glover is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Ian Kelsey. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 4 August 1994. The character was introduced in a bid to attra ...

(

Ian Kelsey Ian Kelsey (born 17 December 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Dave Glover in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Patrick Spiller in the BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', DI Richard Mayne in the ITV crime drama '' Blue Mur ...

) is killed in a fire, while trying to save James Tate. Linda is shocked to find a newborn baby girl in a box outside the veterinary surgery. Two days later, after being admitted to hospital for haemorrhaging, 13-year-old

Emma Cairns The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 1997, by order of first appearance. Lyn Hutchinson Lyn Hutchinson, played by Sally Walsh, made her first appearance on 8 January 1997. Walsh sa ...

(Rebecca Loudensack) admits to being the mother. Linda becomes broody. Shortly after Biff's father, Ron Hudson (Richard Albrecht), dies of Huntington's disease, Linda tells Biff that she could be pregnant and he admits that his father's disease could be hereditary. Biff's tests for Huntington's disease come back negative. However, Linda miscarries. On 16 October 1997, Linda and other guests are invited to the engagement party of

Kim Tate Kim Taylor (also Barker, Marchant and Tate) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Claire King. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 12 December 1989. Kim is portrayed in the ser ...

(

Claire King Jayne Claire King (born Jayne Claire Seed; 10 January 1962) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Kim Tate in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' and Karen Betts in '' Bad Girls''. She has appeared in the fourth series of ''Stric ...

) and her fiancé

Steve Marchant Steve Marchant is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Paul Opacic. He made his first on-screen appearance on 26 March 1996. Opacic originally auditioned for the role of Sean Rossi, before he was cast as S ...

(

Paul Opacic Paul Opacic (born 1966) is a British actor from Halifax, England. Best known for his roles as Carl Costello in ''Hollyoaks'', Steve Marchant in ''Emmerdale'' and Mark Waddle in '' Bad Girls''. In 2021, he joined the cast of the ITV soap ope ...

). In the build-up to the party, Linda is excited about the events at Home Farm and buys an expensive dress. Biff makes it clear that he would rather go to the Woolpackers event at the wine bar, and is horrified to learn how much Linda's dress cost. They couple argue. Linda later arrives at the party, squashed in her

mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

, with the rest of her family. Biff complains to Steve that he is blocking the parking with his Porsche. He gives Linda the keys so she can move it. Biff is jealous when Linda waves at

Lord Alex Oakwell Alex, Lord Oakwell is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Rupam Maxwell. The actor auditioned for the part of Alex and was told he had won the role on the same day. His casting was announced in June ...

(Rupam Maxwell) as they had lunch that day, and he is still bitter towards Kim. Linda dances and drinks alcohol. Alex asks Linda to dance and a jealous Biff later barges through them. Alex suggests that they go outside and Kim watches them disappear. Linda then suggests that they go for a drive in Steve's Porsche, because she has still got the keys. Alex agrees to drive and Kim sees them leave. Kim tells Biff that Linda has gone off with Alex and Biff rushes after them. Alex pulls the car over and snorts

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

in front of Linda, before resuming driving. He starts to touch Linda, but she tells him to stop. They fight and Alex crashes the car into a tree. Seeing that Linda is badly injured, Alex moves her into the driver's seat, kisses her and runs off, leaving Linda to die. Biff finds the car and tries to wake Linda. Linda's former sister-in-law Kathy (

Malandra Burrows Malandra Elizabeth Burrows (born 4 November 1965) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her long-running role as Kathy Glover in ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Burrows' first name, Malandra, is a portmanteau of her pa ...

) and Doug Hamilton stop to help; Doug phones for an ambulance using his mobile phone. Alex sneaks back to Home Farm, where the party is still going on and claims that he left Linda in a layby and that she drove off at speed. Linda is brought to the hospital and taken straight to the resuscitation room. Biff arrives moments later and is told that he cannot see Linda; the doctor asks about Linda's parents. Kathy and Doug try to comfort Biff as he feels bad about the argument he and Linda had. Biff is told that Linda has died from uncontrollable

internal bleeding Internal bleeding (also called internal hemorrhage) is a loss of blood from a blood vessel that collects inside the body. Internal bleeding is usually not visible from the outside. It is a serious medical emergency but the extent of severity dep ...

caused by a fractured pelvis and a

ruptured spleen A splenic injury, which includes a ruptured spleen, is any injury to the spleen. The rupture of a normal spleen can be caused by trauma, such as a traffic collision. Signs and symptoms In minor injuries with little bleeding, there may be abdomin ...

. Biff cries as he looks at Linda's body. He kisses her and tells her that he will always love her.

References

{{Emmerdale characters Emmerdale characters Television characters introduced in 1994 Female characters in television Fictional receptionists