Lisa Riley – ‘My motto in life is love and laughter'

Emmerdale star Lisa Riley reveals how heartache has brought her and her partner closer together

- By Christine Smith

After taking a two-month break from the soap, Lisa Riley is back causing havoc as Emmerdale’s iconic character, Mandy Dingle, and as the show prepares to celebrate its 50th birthday later this year, the much-loved actor reveals that it’s going to be one of the most epic years ever for the soap.

But away from the TV cameras, as the actor talks movingly today, Lisa has been left heartbroken by the recent death of her fiancé Al’s mum, whom she affectionately refers to as ‘Nana’.

In our exclusive interview, Lisa, 46, who is engaged to Al and has been together with him since 2014, chats about how her future mother-in-law’s death brought haunting memories back of the loss of her own mum 10 years ago, but why tragedy has brought the couple even closer; how her incredible soap family have rallied around her and what lies ahead for soap favourite, Mandy.

Are you pleased to be back on Emmerdale after being off?

It’s so lovely to be playing Mandy again. I’ve never had any time off other than our annual leave, and so when the storyline meant Mandy wouldn’t be around for two and a half months, it also meant I could go off too! I hadn’t realised just how much I needed a break. It’s been fantastic to recharge the batteries.