Emmerdale’s Lisa Dingle star now as actress makes career U-turn after ditching acting

Jane Cox, who played the role of Dingle matriarch Lisa, left the show in 2019 – but since then, Jane has swapped the soapstar life for something much more relaxed and not as tense

Lisa Dingle was one of the most iconic characters in the history of Emmerdale as she became the matriarch of the Dingle family.

Played by Jane Cox on the ITV soap, Lisa was known for her loving nature, firm advice and ability to fight back when challenges came. Over the years, viewers have watched as she has gone through immense struggles raging from a harrowing rape storyline to infidelity and the breakdown of her marriage to husband Zak.

But in 2019, Cox decided to follow in co-star Steve Halliwell’s footsteps and leave the soap, some 20 years after first getting hitched. Jane had been on the show for 23 years and admitted that it was time for a shake-up in her career.In heartwrenching scenes that had viewers in tears, Lisa confessed to Charity that she had been given a terminal diagnosis for her undiscovered heart condition. She returned to the village from a trip to Scotland to tell the rest of her family that she had been diagnosed with the disease, known as as amyloidosis.

And whilst Zak and Lisa had gone through emotional turmoil at that time following her cheating on him, the pair were able to rekindle their love for each other. In scenes that had viewers welling up, the pair were set to get married once again, but Lisa tragically passed away on their wedding day.

Speaking to the Mirror at the time of her departure, she said that she wanted to get out there and find new opportunities. “It is completely life-changing, but I decided I wanted to do different things,” Jane explained. My mum died a couple of years ago, so it does make you think a lot about the big things in life. As you get older life feels shorter – although of course I’m going to live to 150,” she quipped.

As well as this, Jane added that the lack of free time away from the show was beginning to take its toll on her. “It is long, long days and then you don’t have time in the evenings because you have lines to learn for the next day,” she confessed.

Officially leaving the show in October 2019, Jane has since completely switched up her career, instead picking up the schoolbook once again in taking on a course in reflexology. She admitted to Inside Soap that whilst acting is not completely off the cards – she wants to enjoy her life for a bit.

“I’m available for acting roles, but at the moment I’m just chilling – which is a luxury for me,” Jane said. In another interview with Digital Spy addressing rumours she would go on I’m A Celeb, she slammed the allegations, saying she does not “consider [herself] to be a celebrity in that way”.

Jane made one final appearance on the show on Thursday night (February 15) as daughter Belle looked ahead to her doomed wedding to partner Tom whose behaviour has spiralled further. In a touching letter to Belle, Lisa voiced over her written words, wishing that she was alive to see Belle tie the knot.