Emmerdale legend breaks silence as she's replaced 30 years after exit

Emmerdale's Tina Dingle was originally played by Jacqueline Pirie (Image: ITV)

Jacqueline Pirie (now Chadwick), known for her former role as Tina Dingle on Emmerdale, has spoken out following the recasting of her character with Samantha Power now stepping into the role.

The actress became a household name during her stint between 1994 and 1996, making headlines with the infamous storyline in 1995, where Tina planned to marry Luke McAllister (played by Noah Huntley) under 'false' pretences, leading to his tragic death in a van crash. Jacquelines portrayal of Tina ended when the character exited the village after the dramatic events of 1996.

In the latest (October 17) hour-long episode, the sombre mood of Zak Dingle's funeral was unexpectedly lifted when his daughter Tina, now depicted by Samantha Power, made an unanticipated return, causing quite a stir amongst her family at the private ceremony.

Turning to X, formerly known as Twitter, Jacqueline addressed the buzz around Tina Dingle's reappearance, writing: "So many questions regarding Tina Dingle's return. Great character, great show. I wish @sampower_sam all the best, I loved playing her, I'm sure she will too, great cast to be a part of and, no... they didn't ask me #emmerdale #tinadingle #dingle."

Responses from fans flooded in, with one commenting: "nothing on the lady who was cast but they should have asked you back you was outstanding as the character every emmerdale fan feels the same x.", reports Leeds Live.

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The actress became a household name during her stint between 1994 and 1996 (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Another questioned: "If they asked you would you have come back?". A third person commented: "Tina was iconic. To have original Tina back would have been awesome.". A fourth added: "A very classy post. Tina was a great character -more nuanced than some Dingles- and well acted."

After her stint in Emmerdale, Jacqueline graced the small screen again, this time on Coronation Street, where she played Linda Sykes for five years, becoming a Weatherfield favourite.

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Jacqueline has since traded the spotlight for a more tranquil life as an author. The mother of two is happily married to Simon Chadwick, and they live with their children in Canada.

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Samantha Power now plays Tina Dingle (Image: ITV) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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Now residing in Vancouver, the former soap actress goes by Jacqueline Chadwick and has made a name for herself in the literary world with her successful crime novels. She has penned three thrilling books, titled In The Still, Briefly Maiden, and Silent Sisters.

All her novels revolve around Ali Dalglish, an ex-pat character who is a former forensic psychologist turned housewife, who finds herself entangled in murder investigations.

In addition to her writing career, Jacqueline has also ventured into business, establishing successful drama schools including the Jacqueline Chadwick Academy of Performing Arts.

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and available to stream from 7am on ITVX