Sammy Winward almost ruined her 'Emmerdale' death scene because she was crying so much.
The 29-year-old beauty saw her character Katie Sugden killed off last week and she admits she was unable to stay still during her final scene with on-screen husband Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher) because she couldn't hold back her emotions.
She said: "Filming Katie's death with Kelvin broke my heart.
"I was supposed to be dead but we both cried. Kelvin's crying is infectious, and I was lying there thinking, 'This is the saddest thing I've ever heard.'
"After we finished filming the producers came on set, and I tried to give a speech, but I couldn't because I was too sad.
"It was so strange to think that after 13 years, that was the last time I was going to be there."
Despite her tears, Sammy is glad her alter ego has been killed off as she won't be able to explore the possibility of returning to the show in future.
She told The Sun newspaper: "I still don't think it has really sunk in that Katie's dead. But it's probably best that she was killed off. Now I won't be looking over my shoulder all the time thinking: 'What if I went back?' It's a clean cut.
"It still feels like a leap into the unknown but I'm ready for it and I'm excited."
Since filming her final scenes, Sammy has been enjoying spending time with nine-year-old daughter Mia - who she has with former partner David Dunn - and wants something very different when she returns to work.
She said: "Since I left about a month ago I've been enjoying my time off. On soaps, you can only have two weeks off, so having longer with Mia is heavenly.
"I'm looking forward to auditioning again, and seeing what's around the corner. I'd love a role that's completely different to Katie.
"I want to do all sorts -- drama, comedy, any role that comes along and makes me say 'yeah'."
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