It's been revealed that Emmerdale's evil villian Emma Barton will die later on this year
It looks like karma is coming for Emmerdale's Emma Barton as it has been revealed that the sinister character will be killed off later this year.
Over the past several months we've seen the cunning Emma manipulate, scheme and murder in the village but it looks like her time is almost up as Gillian Kearney, who plays Emma, will bow out of the show this autumn.
An Emmerdale spokesperson confirmed she's leaving the show and said: "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."
WATCH: The horrific moment Emma kills her husband James...
We're SO excited!
Not only will the widower leave the show but according to The Sun she will be going out with a bang in a LIVE episode. A source told the publication: "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."
They added: "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."
Eek!
We reckon the whole nation will watch when Emma finally leaves the show, she's been an evil resident in the Dales for quite a while.
However according to The Metro, Emmerdale bosses are NOT planning to have an upcoming live episode. An ITV spokesperson told The Metro: "Emmerdale has no plans for a live episode."
![Emma Barton Emmerdale](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-images/entertainment/5950e32bdcfce14e51421374/emma-barton-emmerdale.jpg.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Wait, what?
Is Emma being killed off live on television or is she not?
Is she even being killed off?
We NEED to know.
To make everyone even more confused, Emmerdale's boss Iain Macleod has since teased how Emma will leave the show: "I don’t want to tell you which characters it involves but it sort of builds on and stems from the events of last Autumn’s big set piece."
![Emma Barton Emmerdale](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-images/entertainment/5950e32bdcfce14e51421374/emmerdale-killer-emma-barton-to-be-killed-off.png?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
He also hinted that it will be slightly similar to their infamous car crash last year: "This year will be very different but equally exciting in many different aspects.
"It’s going to be intense and unmissable but I can’t divulge any more details at this stage," he told the Express.
Eek!
Last Autumn, Emmerdale viewers saw a deranged Emma murder her husband James by throwing him off a bridge after she was secretly poisoning him.
![Emma Barton Emmerdale](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-images/entertainment/5950e32bdcfce14e51421374/emmerdale-spoilers-emma-barton-killed-off.png?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
The only person who saw Emma on the bridge with her husband was Ashley Thomas and although he died earlier this year, there's a tape recording of Emma's confession. But fans were delighted when it later came to light that Ashley's son Arthur watched the tape and knows the truth and he has even told Laurel.
But what's next for the Thomas family and when will Emma's evil past come to light?
READ MORE
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