'Emmerdale' bosses are planning a live episode in which Gillian Kearney's character is killed off.
Gillian Kearney
The 45-year-old actress has been portraying manipulative murderer Emma Barton on the popular ITV soap since 2015, and sources have now claimed bosses are set to kill off the nurse in a dramatic live episode.
A live episode will come a year after 2016's No Return week in which Bill Ward's character James - who was Emma's husband - was pushed off a bridge into oncoming traffic by Emma, who then squeezed his oxygen tube in hospital until he died.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "'Emmerdale' love an ambitious stunt and this is something they've been discussing for some time. Last year's No Return week was a real triumph for the soap and got people talking about it again.
"The last time they tried a live episode was in 2012 and it was a headache to plan and pull off but they managed it. They want to go one further this time and hope they will pull in viewers from other soaps."
It is unknown as of yet when the live episode will take place, but it's thought to be in the autumn as show bosses recently begged Gillian to extend her contract, after she was due to depart the show in May.
A spokesperson said: "Gillian Kearney was intending to leave 'Emmerdale' in May 2017.
"We asked her to extend her contract to play the last chapter of Emma Barton's story. Gillian was happy to stay with the programme to the end of the year in the knowledge she would be involved in a major storyline this autumn."
Bosses are currently remaining tight-lipped on how the brunette beauty will get her comeuppance for killing her husband, but it's thought she will certainly get what she deserves after causing the multi-car pile up last year.
A source said recently: "The writers were looking for their big summer story and they decided Emma would be at the centre of it. They felt there had to be retribution for all the trouble she's caused. They are going to be writing in more devious storylines for her and building her into a complete psycho."
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