What happened to Eric’s ex wife Gloria Pollard in Emmerdale?
YEARS and plenty of drama have gone by since Eric Pollard first appeared in the Yorkshire Dales.
Before he found love in Emmerdale, the longest-standing villager was married to Gloria Weaver. What happened to her?
Who was Gloria Pollard in Emmerdale and what happened to her?
Gloria Weaver made her debut in the ITV soap in 2000 and was first introduced to viewers as a stern-looking member of Ashley Thomas' congregation.
Much like Edna Birch at the time, Gloria didn't approve of the vicar's romance with Bernice Blackstock (played by Samantha Giles) and she made her feelings clear.
Aside from her firm convictions, Gloria was also known as the receptionist at the vets' surgery.
Gloria eventually bumped into Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) who gave her some valuations when she began to sell off her antiques.
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Eric had valued a candlestick for Gloria and when he was at an auction, a few days later, he spotted a similar one, buying it for her to make a matching pair.
Little did he know that the candlestick he'd bought was the one Gloria had sold.
Nonetheless, the pair became romantically involved and tied the knot, Gloria becoming Eric's fourth wife.
But it quickly became clear Gloria was just as power-hungry as her husband.
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At the time, Eric was a local councillor and keen to become an MP with the full support of Gloria.
In fact, on their wedding night, she convinced Eric to sleep with fellow councillor Glynis Hardy to secure his place as candidate for the election.
The plan paid off with Eric becoming mayor, ready for the next chapter of his political life.
Unfortunately for him, village gossip Steph Stokes got wind of his night with Glynis and exposed him.
This time, however, Gloria didn't stand by her man as she, instead, threw him under the bus by taking on the role of the scorned wife, seizing the opportunity to build her own future as a politician.
Ambitious, she stood for election and won her own seat.
But things with Eric took a dramatic turn.
Why did Gloria fake her death in Emmerdale?
Gloria worked in Westminster and was immediately distracted by her young male researcher, Hilary.
After assuring to Eric that Hilary was a woman, the pair began an affair.
Eric was shocked beyond belief when Hilary rocked up to the eponymous village, revealing he was in fact a man and the illicit romance was rumbled by Steph who'd spotted him embracing Gloria.
Steph made the most of it by blackmailing Gloria who had no choice but to pay up.
But she eventually got revenge by unearthing as much dirt as she could on Steph.
This only added fuel to the fire as Steph went to the Hotten Courier to expose Gloria's sordid secrets and Eric finally discovered the truth about his wife.
Devastated and furious, he threw Gloria out of their house and she stumbled out of the village drunk.
Her car and shoes were later found, prompting Eric to assume she was dead.
But in a shocking twist, Gloria later sent him a photograph of her soaking up the sun in an unknown exotic location and she admitted she'd actually faked her death for the chance of a fresh start.
And when her car and shoes were found, Eric assumed she was dead.
Gloria was last seen in the Dales in late 2003 and she appeared in a video the following year.
Could soap bosses throw a spanner in the works by making Gloria return to Emmerdale?
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Who was Gloria played by in Emmerdale?
The forgotten character was portrayed by actress Janice McKenzie who appeared in several other iconic soaps.
In 2000, she payed Mrs Paton in fellow ITV program Coronation Street.
Mrs Paton was the headteacher of Weatherfield High when Sarah Platt became pregnant at the age of 13.
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While she is most active on stage, Janice's TV credits also include appearances in High Road, Doctors, The Bill, Casualty, Heartbeat and The Royal, among others.
Meanwhile, Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
