Jennifer Metcalfe cried "genuine tears" saying goodbye to her on-screen sister.
The 'Hollyoaks' actress - who plays Mercedes McQueen - admits she and her castmates Jorgie Porter (Theresa), Mandip Gill (Phoebe) and Nicole Barber Lane (Myra) were distraught saying goodbye to Gemma Merna, whose alter ego Carmel Valentine was killed off in an explosive train crash, and couldn't hide their emotions.
She said: "It was awful. It was really emotional. We just said can we just go for it because if we had to re-do it we would all be in bits. About 15 shots later we were still in bits. It was pretty draining but it was just genuine tears."
And Gemma was equally upset to say goodbye after eight years on screen but was glad to have a "lovely" farewell scene.
Speaking at a screening of the train crash episodes, she said: "It was fantastic and lovely to say goodbye to the family I've worked with for so long and Jen who we met on auditions."
The blonde star will always cherish her time on the Channel 4 soap because she has won so many devoted fans.
She said: "Carmel is such a lovely character. She is always nice and everybody loves her and I've got great fans because of that, so that is one of the great reasons having played Carmel."
