Lisa Riley signs new Emmerdale contract

Lisa Riley is "over the moon" after she signed a new contract on \'Emmerdale\'.

The Dales star is delighted to have secured her future on the ITV soap, on which she plays Mandy Dingle, and the 44-year-old star - who is from Bury, north west England - is glad to have moved back up north to be closer to her family.

She said: "I\'ve signed a new contract. I\'m over the moon to be staying.

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"I\'m so lucky, because the writers always write for me. I\'m always involved in all different stuff. That\'s a joy as an actor.

"Also being back up north ... I\'ve come home, we\'ve sold our house in London.

"I\'m back with my family. My family are my world, and to have them literally 50 minutes away from where I am here in the north is just pure bliss.

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"I\'m so lucky. I\'m involved with a show that I\'m so proud of."

Lisa has her co-star Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk) to thank for persuading her to re-join \'Emmerdale\'.

She met him for lunch just five days after having a meeting with \'Emmerdale\' producer Jane Hudson, who told her about plans to bring Mandy back to the Dales.

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But Lisa wasn\'t completely convinced about reprising her role, until she met up with Dominic.

Speaking on \'Lorraine\', she added: "Dom said we should meet for lunch, so we did.

"I was like, \'What do you think?\' And he said, \'It\'s a no brainer. It\'s not like it was when we were kids. Everyone is older and so much wiser now. We film things a lot quicker. Why not try it?\'

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"And I did. So Dominic Brunt is the one we need to thank."

Lisa initially portrayed Mandy from 1995 to 2001, and she returned for a short stint in January 2019.

She later reappeared in September 2019, and looks to be staying in the Dales for another year after her new deal.