Valerie "Val" Pollard (also Lambert) 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 person, ...

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 ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

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

Charlie Hardwick Claire Elizabeth Hardwick (born 3 November 1960)
''

Diane Sugden Diane Sugden (also Blackstock) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Elizabeth Estensen. Since her first appearance in 1999, she has been involved in several high-profile storylines, including her marria ...

(

Elizabeth Estensen Elizabeth Estensen (born 10 August 1949) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Diane Sugden on the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 1999 to 2021, with a guest stint in 2022. She has also made appearances in v ...

). She later married

Eric Pollard Eric Pollard (also Pollock) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Chris Chittell. He made his first appearance in the soap on 30 September 1986. Having appeared continuously since, he is currently the lon ...

(

Chris Chittell Christopher John Chittell (born 19 May 1948) is an English actor, known for his role as Eric Pollard in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. He has portrayed the role since 1986, making him the longest-serving cast member in the soap's history. ...

). Hardwick took a three-month break from ''Emmerdale'' to appear in a play, and the character left on 10 February 2012. Val returned in June 2012 and was surprised to learn that Eric was in a relationship with

Brenda Walker Brenda Walker (born 1957 in Grafton, New South Wales) is an Australian writer. She studied at the University of New England in Armidale and, after gaining a PhD in English (on the work of Samuel Beckett) at the Australian National University ...

(

Lesley Dunlop Lesley Jane Dunlop (born 10 March 1956) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Norna in the ''Doctor Who'' serial "Frontios", Anna Kirkwall in ''Where the Heart Is (British TV series), Where the Heart Is'' and Zoë Angell in ''May ...

). She moved into Diane's pub, after her marriage breakdown, and helped run it while Diane was away visiting her daughter. In 2014, Val was told that she was

HIV positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

, after a holiday fling while she was in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. In 2015, it was announced that Hardwick had quit the soap. Val was killed off on 6 August 2015 in the highly publicised "Summer Fate" storyline, which saw a helicopter crash into the village. She made several appearances afterwards as a ghost to Eric and on a videotape describing her final wishes. Her final on-screen appearance aired on 31 August 2015. She later appeared as a ghost in

Robert Sugden Robert Sugden (also Sugden-Dingle) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. The character originally appeared on the show regularly between 22 April 1986 and 3 October 2005. During that time he was first played ...

's (

Ryan Hawley Ryan Alexander Hawley (born 21 September 1985) is an English actor, known for his portrayal of Robert Sugden in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2014 to 2019. Early life Hawley, son of Christine and Steve, spent his childhood partly in ...

) dream on 25 December 2017.

Storylines

Val arrives in Emmerdale in February 2004, surprising her sister, Diane Blackstock (

). Their relationship has always been difficult as Diane had helped bring Val up after their mother died. Upon her arrival, Val has a black eye, which she tells Diane is her ex-boyfriend, Eugene Brown's (

John Axon John Axon GC (4 December 1900 – 9 February 1957) was an English train driver from Stockport (Edgeley Depot) who died while trying to stop a runaway freight train on a 1 in 58 gradient at Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire after a brake failu ...

) fault. When Eugene arrives, he reveals that Val persuaded him to pay for her nose job before fleeing. Always on the lookout for the next man to fund her lifestyle, Val is delighted to find her ex-brother-in-law,

Rodney Blackstock Rodney Blackstock is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Patrick Mower. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 24 October 2000. He was introduced as the estranged father of ...

(

Patrick Mower Patrick Mower (born Patrick Archibald Shaw; 12 September 1938) is an English actor who has portrayed the role of Rodney Blackstock in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' since 2000. As well as portraying Rodney, Mower has appeared in various films ...

) is living in Emmerdale and now a millionaire. They soon begin a relationship and Val works with Diane in the pub. Val, never happy with just one man, cheats on Rodney with his much younger employee

Danny Daggert Danny Daggert is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Cleveland Campbell. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 25 June 2001. Development Campbell's on-screen family were w ...

(

Cleveland Campbell Cleveland Campbell (born 3 October 1977 in Rochdale, UK) is an English actor. His family is originally from Kingston, Jamaica. He is best known for his role in ITV (TV network), ITV's ''Emmerdale'' as Danny Daggert. He played the part from 2001 ...

). She eventually chooses Rodney, believing him to be the better long term choice. However, when Diane is diagnosed with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

, Rodney is devastated and realizes that he is still in love with her. Diane rejects him but he ends his relationship with Val. Furious and rejected, Val goes to Italy to visit her son

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

(

Matthew Bose Mathew Bose (born 3 July 1977) is a British actor. He is best known for his role as Paul Lambert in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2004 to 2010 and again in 2015. Life and career Bose was born 3 July 1977 in South East London. He has an ol ...

) and his partner, Enzo Biannchi (Daniel D'Alessandro), returning for Diane's wedding to

Jack Sugden John Jacob "Jack" Sugden is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. The character was originally played by Andrew Burt from 1972 to 1973 with a ...

(

Clive Hornby Clive William Hornby (20 October 1944 – 3 July 2008) was an English actor, best known for his role as Jack Sugden in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. He first appeared in the programme (then named ''Emmerdale Farm'') in 1980, and remained in ...

) with a man half her age but this is quickly revealed to be a lie. Furious at being rejected by Diane and Rodney, Val reveals her affair with Rodney while he was married to Diane and that Rodney is the father of her son, Paul. Horrified by her actions, Val is disowned by everyone close to her but she believes that she could turn it around. Val becomes close to

(

) and they go into partnership. Together they launch a fabrics company and Eric tries to restart his career in politics. Eric loves Val but his selfishness affects the relationship and he attributes to her for standing in the way of his political career. Val's ex-boyfriend Jimmy Pepper (Michael Gunn) returns and he is horrified to find Paul, who he had raised as his own, not to be his. He demands that Val repay him the maintenance he paid her and threatens to beat Paul up again unless Val pays him. In order to raise the money, Val starts embezzling at the pub under guise of robbery and is caught; Diane calls the police. Val is sentenced to community service and is forced to help local pensioner

Noreen Bell The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2005, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Keith Richardson. Max King Max King, port ...

(

Jenny Tomasin Jenny Tomasin (22 March 1938 – 3 January 2012) was an English actress best known for her roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' and ''Emmerdale''. Early life Tomasin was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1938 to working class parents. S ...

). At first, Val hates Noreen but the two women become friends, joining forces to oppose Eric when he stands for council again. Val and Eric reunite and Val herself schemes to be rich and invests money in

Pearl Ladderbanks Pearl Ladderbanks (also Hartbourne) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Meg Johnson. She first appeared on the show in episode 3500 on 30 July 2003. Pearl's storylines include defending her rapi ...

’ ( Meg Johnson) Internet Investment Scheme, unaware it is a con. When the truth comes out, Val is livid and Pearl leaves the village for a while. When Noreen is killed in the Kings River Showhome explosion, she leaves her money to Val and she buys half the Woolpack. Val starts having problems with her eyes and accidentally knocks down Samson Dingle while driving. Eric later proposes and Val accepts and they marry. They later foster teenager Amy Wyatt but things are strained when Amy gives birth to a baby and decides to give him up for adoption. Val and Eric separate as she blames him for encouraging Amy to have Kyle adopted and goes to Portugal. Believing that Val is not returning after she empties their joint bank account, Eric starts dating

(

). Val returns to find them together and is furious and things get worse when she learns of their holiday plans. Val asks Eric's son,

David Metcalfe David Metcalfe is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Matthew Wolfenden. Storylines Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) had never divorced from his first wife, Eileen (Arbel Jones), and went on to have an ...

(

Matthew Wolfenden Matthew Wolfenden (born 5 May 1980) is an English actor best known for his role as David Metcalfe in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Wolfenden was born in Norwood Green, West Yorkshire. He was educated at Brighouse High Scho ...

), to help her and finds him in The Woolpack with

Alicia Gallagher Alicia Metcalfe (also Harding and Gallagher) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Natalie Anderson. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 August 2010. Alicia was int ...

(

Natalie Anderson Natalie Jane Anderson (born on 24 October 1981) is an English actress, singer and television presenter. She is known for her roles as Stella Davenport in the medical drama ''The Royal'' from 2005 to 2008 and Alicia Metcalfe in the ITV soap op ...

). When David refuses to help, Val turns nasty and starts attacking him and Eric but is stunned when Alicia punches her, bloodying her nose. Val calls the police and Alicia is arrested and later sentenced to a year in prison as she has a previous suspended sentence for assault. Val is then ostracized by the community. Val does try to withdraw her statement to the police, realizing that she has made a mistake, but as Alicia has already pleaded guilty, she cannot. Despite this, she does eventually win back Eric as he realizes that life with Brenda is dull compared to life with Val. In January 2014, Val's Portugal fling, Ian Chamberlain (

Robert Cavanah Robert Cavanah is a Scottish stage and film actor, writer, director and producer. Biography Robert Cavanah was born in Edinburgh. He attended James Gillespie's High School in Edinburgh followed by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dra ...

), arrives at The Woolpack unannounced and tells Val that he is

. This stuns Val and frightens her, leaving her worried that she has the virus and has possibly passed it on to Eric. She goes to get tested with Ian but cannot bring herself to have the test and lies that the test was negative but her behaviour shows otherwise, as she suddenly starts sleeping in the spare room and is cold with Eric. Diane and Victoria confront Val about it but Val reveals the truth to Victoria, who advises her to tell Eric the truth. Val admits to Eric that she had a fling with Ian and Eric forgives her but Val panics when Eric is ill but it is only mild flu. Eric realizes that Val has not told him everything and ends their marriage after seeing Val leave Ian's car. Hurt, Eric has a drunken one-night stand with Diane. Victoria, unaware of this, tells Diane that Val could be HIV positive, terrifying Diane. Diane immediately goes to the clinic and starts taking medication to fight the virus. Val finally plucks the courage up and tells Eric that she may be HIV positive, leaving him stunned. Val heads to the hospital the next day to get the results and Eric eventually turns up to support Val. They receive their results and Eric's results come back negative whilst Val's are positive. Val is overwhelmed when Alicia throws her a surprise party and Diane reveals the truth about her one-night stand with Eric, Val is furious and throws a whisky bottle at Eric when he tries to apologize, cutting his head and subsequently feels guilty. Later, she humiliates Diane and Eric in The Woolpack by revealing their one-night stand to the regulars. Val gets drunk with

Kerry Wyatt ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2012, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve ...

(

Laura Norton Laura Norton (born 19 June 1983) is an English actress, known for her role as Kerry Wyatt on the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Norton has also appeared in numerous television series working for ITV and the BBC, and has significant theatre cr ...

) and they both fall over and Val's knee starts bleeding. Kerry is about to wipe the blood away but Val shouts at her not to touch it as she may contract HIV. Eric and Victoria then rush to help and Val is distraught when Eric has to wear gloves to treat her wound. Val begins to annoy

Jacob Gallagher The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2010, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve Frost. Charlie Haynes Charles "Ch ...

(Joe-Warren Plant) so he posts online that somebody at Val and Eric's B&B has HIV, after overhearing that Val has been diagnosed. When Val finds out, she is stunned and decides to tell the shocked villagers that she is HIV positive. After being rude to Brenda when she offers her support, Val gets drunk and Jacob reveals that he was the culprit who posted her status online. She forgives Jacob and apologises for being irritating. Ian later arrives at the B&B so Eric punches him. This stuns Val and her new employee and friend,

Finn Barton ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2013, by order of first appearance. Ross Barton ( Michael Parr) made his debut in July. Joanie Wright ( Den ...

(

Joe Gill Joseph P. Gill (July 13, 1919 – December 17, 2006)Social Security Death Inde ...

). She takes Ian to the café, where they realise how well suited they are for one another. As they are leaving the café, Val and Ian share a passionate kiss, unaware that Eric has seen them. Val and Ian later begin dating but it doesn't last long and Val is devastated to find Eric selling her belongings outside The Woolpack. Val is later delighted when local delivery driver, Tiny Alcock (

Tony Pritchard Tony Pritchard is an English actor. Career He appeared in the 2000 film '' Quills'' as Valcour. He also starred in the British short film ''A Girl and a Gun'' (2007), as well as making appearances on ''EastEnders'' as Isaacs, ''The Bill'' as Dav ...

), takes a shine to her. They have numerous drinks and are attracted to one another, despite Eric warning Tiny to stay away from Val. The next day, Tiny makes it clear he wants to sleep with her but she panics and tells him she is just popping out for some

condoms A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of inte ...

, but she actually confides in Victoria. She returns, and the pair sleep together. Unfortunately Tiny finds an appointment card for the sexual health clinic in Val's bag when looking for cigarettes and asks Val about it, so she tells him that she is HIV positive. Tiny is furious and tries to leave but Val tries to stop him. He pushes her away and she hits her head as Tiny storms out, leaving Val on the floor, devastated. The next morning, Val has a black eye and Eric thinks that Tiny hit her and confront him in the café, where Tiny is nasty about Val and her HIV status, infuriating Eric. The pair go outside, where a fight ensues and Val and Diane get involved as the police arrive and make things worst. Val is arrested for criminal damage after she vandalises Tiny's van with a key, Diane for assaulting a police officer after she accidentally elbows one in the face while trying to restrain her sister from throwing bread at Tiny, and Eric for assault after he kicks and punches Tiny. At the police station, they begin bickering, so they all spend the night in a cell, Diane and Eric are released without charge, while Val is released and charged with criminal damage, threatening behaviour and assault, which infuriates her. After being released, Val finally forgives Diane after months of feuding. The following day, Val gives a heart-felt talk to The Woolpack regulars about living with HIV, which is praised throughout the pub. In early 2015, Val catches a cough from her new friend

Tracy Shankley ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared or will appear during 2014, by order of first appearance. William Makepeace (Dudley Sutton) and his grandson, Se ...

(Amy Walsh) and later collapses from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. Her son, Paul, returns to support Eric as Val slips into a coma. She later recovers, and encourages Finn to begin dating Darren Thompson (Danny Horn), a nurse who is looking after her. After discovering that Darren is HIV positive, Val begins a secret vendetta against him, in the hope that he will eventually leave Finn alone. He does so, but Finn discovers what Val has been up to and disowns her; he later forgives her when she persuades Darren to give him another chance. In June 2015, Val helps

Carly Hope ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the show in 2001, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by series producer Steve Frost. ...

(

Gemma Atkinson Gemma Louise Atkinson (born 16 November 1984) is an English influencer, actress, radio presenter and former glamour model. She played Lisa Hunter in ''Hollyoaks'' (2001–2005, 2022) and in three spin-off series, '' Hollyoaks: After Hours'' (20 ...

) and her father,

Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places * Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

(

Tony Audenshaw Antony Audenshaw (born 6 September 1964) is an English actor and singer. Audenshaw appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' from 1994 to 1996). Then in 2000, he began portraying the role of Bob Hope on the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. ...

) to commit

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

in order for Carly to keep possession of Eric's son, David's, shop as he has emigrated to Portugal. Val dresses up as Bob's wife, Brenda, and signs contracts which give Carly the money to pay the shop's rent. However, this is revealed in July 2015 and Brenda and Eric are furious with Val, Carly and Bob for their thoughtless actions, with Brenda slapping Val for impersonating her. Brenda later phones the police, and Val and Bob are arrested, but Carly flees the village and escapes arrest. Val is furious to discover that she has no choice but to plead guilty at the court hearing over the fraud as the case is strongly against her. She ignores her lawyer and pleads innocent, which causes Eric to collapse and suffer a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. When Tracy visits Eric in hospital, she makes a joke about life insurance, which gives Val the idea that she should fake her own death in order to escape her prison sentence, and that her body will never be found, as she and Eric will make a new life abroad. When Diane finds out about Val's plan to fake her death, the sisters fall out and are forced to make up when Eric, Rodney and

Douglas Potts Douglas "Doug" Potts is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Duncan Preston. In July 2010, Preston announced that he was taking a break from the show, initially temporarily for several months to allo ...

( Duncan Preston) lock them inside the hall of mirrors at the village summer fair. Unbeknownst to them, an explosion caused by

Chrissie White Chrissie White (23 May 1895 – 18 August 1989) was a British film actress of the silent film, silent era. She appeared in more than 180 films between 1908 and 1933. White married actor and film director Henry Edwards (actor), Henry Edwards ...

(

Louise Marwood Louise Marwood (born 13 March 1979) is an English actress and comedian, known for portraying the role of Chrissie White in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', which she played from 2014 until 2018. Early life Marwood was born on 13 March 1979 in ...

) sends a helicopter crashing through the roof where

Debbie Dingle Debbie Dingle (also Jones and Barton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Charley Webb. Webb has taken maternity leave three times, with the first time being in 2010 and the second throughout 2016 ...

(

Charley Webb Charlotte Anne Webb (born 26 February 1988), commonly known as Charley Webb, is an English actress. From 2002 to 2021, she portrayed the role of Debbie Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. In 2014, she was nominated for Best Female Dra ...

) and

Pete Barton ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2013, by order of first appearance. Ross Barton (Michael Parr) made his debut in July. Joanie Wright (Denis ...

's (

Anthony Quinlan Anthony Quinlan is an English actor, known for his roles as Gilly Roach in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' and Pete Barton in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Career Quinlan played Gilly Roach in the English Channel 4 soap opera A soa ...

) wedding reception is taking place in the nearby village hall. When the suspended helicopter collapses into the village hall, another explosion tears through the hall and the neighbouring hall of mirrors, smashing the mirrors and injuring and trapping Val and Diane. Val reflects on her plans of faking her death, noting that more people would mourn Diane's death than her own, and intimating, given their history, that Diane would not care if she died. Diane makes Val understand that there is no need for competition between them, and warns her to believe that she would mourn for her if she died. Diane and Val then have a heart-to-heart and tell each other they love each other. As the emergency services enter the maze, Val offers for Diane to be saved before her, and as Diane is carried out of the rubble, Val looks up to see above her a hanging shard of glass. Knowing that it may fall onto her before her rescue, she lights a cigarette and shouts at the glass, that she is strong due to her illness. The shard then falls and she is killed. The next day, Diane and David inform Eric of Val's death. Eric refuses to believe she is dead and convinces himself that Val has gone through with her plan to fake her death. Val then appears as a ghost, to Eric and tells him that she is dead. They listen to their favourite song and she bids him farewell then disappears. Val is later seen when Diane and Doug watch her goodbye DVD message to Diane, the day before her funeral. Val is last seen in

's (Ryan Hawley) dream sequence that he experiences in Christmas 2017.

Casting

Hardwick joined the cast of ''Emmerdale'' as Val Lambert in early 2004. Val was introduced as the sister of established character, Diane Blackstock (

). Hardwick initially signed a six-month contract with the show. Speaking of her casting, Hardwick told Gordon Barr of the ''

Evening Chronicle The ''Evening Chronicle'', now referred to as ''The Comical'', is a daily newspaper produced in Newcastle upon Tyne covering North regional news, but primarily focused on Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding area. The ''Comical'' is published by ...

'' "I've been a massive fan of ''Emmerdale'' since day one. In fact, I watch all the soaps so to now be in it truly is a dream come true. And what a character. Let's just say she has the potential to get more flamboyant."

Development

Rodney Blackstock

Discussing Val, on Rodney and Diane, Hardwick said "Val's first thought is 'aye aye, he's trying to get into the back room'! aughsYou know what I mean! Then Val thinks that he's trying to get into Diane's heart, before thinking that Rodney wants Val out of the pub. That's the killer. She thinks he's a dirty dog. Then when she sees Diane give Rodney a kiss on the cheek, she immediately thinks that there's trouble afoot. Val knows Rodney – she's been there, done it, had the child and been the babysitter. And when Val originally turned up in Emmerdale, she went back to drink from the same pool, so she definitely knows what he's like." Also discussing if Val is jealous she also said "Whenever Val's getting attention and she isn't, there's some kind of jealousy! But on this occasion, though, Val just thinks, 'he's not getting my pub'. Consciously, she's worried about Diane but subconsciously, she's only ever totally concerned about herself. I've said this before, but I wrote a list of quintessential characteristics of Val on a post-it note when I first arrived at Emmerdale and I keep them in my script file. She's glamour and sex, she always tells the truth – even when she's lying – and everything she does, she does for Val."

Temporary departure (2012)

It was reported that Hardwick would take a three-month break from the show to appear in a stage production called, ''The Awkward Squad'' set in the North East. Hardwick also confirmed on ITV's daytime program, This Morning that two different exit scenes had been filmed and she did not know which version would be eventually broadcast. "I don't know which one they've used. The director said, 'I'll decide which one is best in the edit". Hardwick also expressed her deep concern that she could potentially write herself out of the show, "It's a risk. I'm going out to do a play, and I might write myself out".

Departure and death (2015)

It was announced on 11 June 2015 that Hardwick had quit the role of Val after appearing regularly for 11 years. The actress stated she would be furious if Val's exit plot was related to her infamous HIV storyline. On her decision to leave the show, Hardwick said: "It's taken me many, many, many months of wrangling. I was thinking perhaps I was just under the weather, or that it was the weather and I just had to pull myself together! But I think I knew I had to go. Not because I hate it, but just because I have to try and get a bit of my life back. I was always commuting from home – I've had a suitcase at the end of my bed for 12 years". Her departure aired in August 2015, among the soap's highly publicised "Summer Fate" storyline, which saw a helicopter crash into the village and kill several villagers, one of which being Val.

Reception

For her portrayal of Val, Hardwick won Best Comedy Performance at the 2006

British Soap Awards The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV and has been presented by Phillip Schofield since 2006. The trophies give ...

. Hardwick received a nomination in the same category in 2007, 2008 and 2011. The actress earned a nomination for Funniest Performance at the 2011 ''Inside Soap'' Awards.

Holy Soap Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas '' Home and Away'' and '' Neighbours'', which are broadcast ...

said Val's memorable moment was being kidnapped by the Dingles on her wedding day. Hardwick was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at The British Soap Awards 2014 for her portrayal of Val. She was also nominated for the "Best On-Screen Partnership" award alongside

, but lost to ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

David Neilson David Neilson (born 13 March 1949) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as cafe owner Roy Cropper in the long running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', which he has played since 1995. Early life Neilson was born in Loughbor ...

(

Roy Cropper Roy Cropper is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by David Neilson. He first appeared on-screen on 19 July 1995. Originally a secondary character, he was given a more prominent role in 1997, by t ...

) and

Julie Hesmondhalgh Julie Claire Hesmondhalgh (born 25 February 1970) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her role as Hayley Cropper in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' between 1998 and 2014. For this role, she won Best Serial Drama Perfor ...

(

Hayley Cropper Hayley Cropper (also Hayley Patterson) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Julie Hesmondhalgh. The character first appeared in the episode first broadcast on 26 January 1998. Hayley was the ...

). In September 2015, Laura-Jayne Tyler of ''Inside Soap'' commented on Hardwick's appearances as Val after her death, "No one has ever done a better job of milking their death than Charlie Hardwick, aka Val Pollard. Her DVD of final requests was certainly 'Val-tacular' – and quite incredibly camp!"

References

External links

Val Pollard
at

itv.com itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV brand (or the UTV brand in Northern Ireland). The website offers online streaming, ...

Val Pollard
at

What's on TV ''What's on TV'' is a weekly television listings magazine published by Future PLC. Overview ''What's on TV'' is a weekly UK television magazine. It publishes features, TV listings, news and gossip from soap operas, as well as puzzles and compe ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Val Emmerdale characters Television characters introduced in 2004 Female characters in television Fictional people from Newcastle upon Tyne Fictional characters with HIV/AIDS Fictional bartenders Fictional female businesspeople Fictional chefs Fictional criminals in soap operas Fictional ghosts