Gemma Oaten bids farewell to Emmerdale character

Gemma Oaten has paid tribute to her \'Emmerdale\' character Rachel Breckle after alter ego died off-screen on the ITV soap on Thursday night (19.09.19).

Viewers watched as Rachel\'s former brother-in-law Dan Spencer (Liam Fox) visits Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) to tell him that his former lover had died and that their son Archie - who Jai had not seen for three years - would need to live with him now.

During his solemn to Jai\'s home, Dan said: "I\'ve got some news. Rachel\'s died. It could have been her heart.

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"The police phoned me earlier today, apparently Archie was at a mate\'s house and when Rachel didn\'t turn up the mum took him round. She went in first and when she saw her on the floor and kept Archie out the way. She was just starting to sort herself out, she deserved a better shot at life."

Although Gemma did not get the chance to come back to the ITV soap - on which she had two stints between 2011 and 2015 - to say farewell as Rachel on-screen she took to Instagram to remember all the great times she had in the Dales and to thank \'Emmerdale\' bosses for giving her the life-changing opportunity.

Along with a collage of images of her with several of her co-stars, Gemma posted on Instagram: "And so Rachel has joined her soap family in the sky. What a journey it\'s been. I got the role of Rachel Breckle in @emmerdale within a year of graduating from Drama school and it changed my life. I always dreamed I\'d be part of the show one day, and as many of you know my struggles as a teen, you\'ll understand why it really was a dream come true. Forever grateful for those four years playing her and the comfort of those jogging bottoms and hoodie (perhaps not so much the scrunchy). Thanks for all the lovely comments since the news came out and for all the support I\'ve had since I left the show in 2015. You\'re a lovely bunch! End of an era ... such a privilege to have worked with so much talent and also our never forgotten Shirley Stelfox, Kitty McGeever, Freddie Jones and Richard Thorpe. Such an honour. #Rachel #Emmerdale #RIP (sic)"