Emmerdale spoilers: Victoria Sugden devastated as grandmother Annie dies
VICTORIA Sugden will be left devastated next week in Emmerdale when she receives a phone call revealing the sad news that her grandmother Annie Sugden has died.
Annie will be given an off-screen death in the ITV soap following actress Sheila Mercier’s real-life passing at age 100 last December.
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Stern matriarch Annie presided over her family and farm from Emmerdale's very first episode right up until 1994 when actress Sheila retired.
Sheila occasionally returned for guest appearances and was last seen in the village in 2009, with her character Annie attending the funeral of her on-screen son Jack.
Vic last mentioned Annie in 2019 when she revealed her grandmother was upset Robert had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the murder of Lee Posner.
Victoria receives the sad news next week just as there seems to be new hope for her love life.
The upcoming scenes will see Marlon and Bob hatch a plan to get Victoria and Luke back together after noticing they still have a soft spot for each other.
But when Vic later gets the sad news that Anne has died, Marlon feels awful for her.
Will Marlon and Bob have to put their plan to reunite the lovebirds on hold?
Or might Annie's death encourage Victoria to see things in a new light and tell Luke how she really feels?
At the time of Sheila's death, Emmerdale dedicated an episode in the star's honour.
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A spokesperson from Emmerdale said: "It's always sad to hear of the death of an actor who played a significant part in Emmerdale’s success. Even more so when that actor was in the very first episode and around whose family the show was built.
"Annie Sugden embodied all the virtues of Yorkshire... she was hard working, resilient, determined, down to earth and didn’t suffer fools gladly.
"Sheila had many of those qualities too, putting the needs of the programme above her own and always delivering a great performance come rain or shine. She will be greatly missed."